


Penance

by Eternally_Exhausted



Series: Uncharted Territory [2]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2020-10-28 02:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20771291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternally_Exhausted/pseuds/Eternally_Exhausted
Summary: "I'm about to make Purgatory seem like Paradise."





	1. Broken Dream

**Prologue: Broken Dream**

_The crowd before him numbered in the thousands. He’d had no idea how far-reaching his words would become, when he’d started on this path- many members of the crowd were Bricksburg natives, but he could also see people from other realms, people who had traveled a long way to hear him speak. There was growing unrest throughout all the world, displeasure with the chaotic Master Builders finally reaching its peak. They called themselves innovators, but what good were their ‘innovations’ when they weren’t shared? Or worse yet, attained by vandalizing others’ property. And then they had the audacity to sneer down at those who couldn’t ‘keep up’._

_No, he couldn’t blame people for being upset. Or for lacking in the courage to stand up to the nuisances- Master Builders were renowned for being far more physically capable than the average human being, stronger and faster and more agile. They had to be, to accomplish the amazing feats they performed every day. But somebody had to get the ball rolling on making things better for the ‘normal’ people, and he figured it might as well be him._

_He was young yet, barely twenty-one, but there was no denying he had a way with words. And he was _passionate _about his cause. He’d be the world’s greatest politician one day, people said without a trace of jest. They believed it. They _wanted _it. They listened, enraptured, as he stepped up to the mic and began to speak, calling for action. Certainly, Master Builders were powerful on their own, but their egos were their greatest weakness. And they far outnumbered the Master Builders- if they stood together, the Master Builders would have no choice but to listen._

_Beside him, his parents stood proud. It was the first time he’d ever seen that look on their faces. He didn’t know, then, it would be the _only _time he ever would._

_A group of Master Builders came to crash the rally, having a protest of their own. They brought their usual mayhem with them, disrupting his speech. There was a lot of angry chanting. Banners were torn down, carelessly left to drop onto the audience below, and several of the Master Builders were attacking the stage. Not himself, or his parents, or anyone else who stood on the platform with him, but the scaffolding itself. They worked so quickly, he didn’t have a moment to spare to shout out a warning. The crowd was pulling together as he’d asked, trying to bring an end to the madness, but then the stage collapsed._

_He fell, with his parents, into a pile of scaffolding and plywood. People were screaming now, in terror or for others to get back, make room, and God, there was _so much pain…

_Some people weren’t so lucky. Including his parents._

_The Master Builders got away scot-free._


	2. Cellophane

**Chapter One: Cellophane**

Sirius slowly opened his eyes as his alarm went off, heaving a sigh as he sat up and stretched before rubbing his hands over his face with a displeased groan. It had been so long since he last had that dream- not since he found the Kragle, at least. “God, I must _really_ be lonely if I’m dreaming about _them_ again,” he grumbled to himself as he forced himself out of his cozy bed. It was getting harder to do, anymore. He shuffled through his morning routine, just going through the motions at this point.

The original Octan Tower had finally been torn down, and it was a massive relief to no longer see it looming in the distance. Part of it had been reused to build the new ‘Tower’ in Bricksburg, though Tower was something of a misnomer as it wasn’t much taller than any of the other buildings in the city. He’d been living there for a month now, in his penthouse at the top. He thought it would feel like home, moving back in, but… The place was just so empty. It barely even looked lived in, his robot butler Edwin did such a fantastic job of keeping up the place. Benny’s apartment had been almost impeccably neat too, but at least it had the feeling of someone residing there, with all his odd little knick-knacks, and throw blanket that never could seem to stay folded.

Benny’s apartment also had the added bonus of another human being. He felt so isolated now. His friends that had remained in Bricksburg had done a pretty good job of meeting up with him on a regular basis at first, but with their jobs picking up and their relationships getting more serious, he’d become more of an afterthought. Forgotten, left by the wayside. Just generally unimportant to anyone. He hadn’t seen Benny since he moved into the new Tower; he hadn’t seen the others for even longer. The only reason the Cops even still came to see him was because they _worked_ for him.

He paused in the doorway of his closet, running his collection of ties through his fingers. Red, red, red, more red. He debated taking the day off; he really just wasn’t _feeling it_ today, but he knew he’d have nothing to do but stew over how miserable he was, otherwise. Not like his friends could just drop everything to keep him company. So he forced himself to get dressed and made his way down to his office.

He was greeted by Velma the moment he stepped out of the elevator. She immediately began to rattle off the reports for the day, though he barely listened. It was nothing new. Octan’s profits were slowly rebuilding after the devastating hit they took over the summer, and Bricksburg’s trust in him was slowly coming back. Emmet had helped, of course, but he liked to think it had more to do with him restoring order in the city after the Master Builders’ disastrous attempts at reintegrating.

Sirius took the offered newspaper and mail and all but locked himself in his office, glad to be away from her- from all the robots still working under him, really. How had he never found their constant marching so _disturbing_ before? He really needed to do some overhauls. Or hire some actual people.

~* *~

Good Cop sighed to himself, mind wandering as they sat in their car for a short coffee break. It felt like their group was drifting apart. He was certain it had been nearly a month since they had their usual Tuesday coffee gathering, and he couldn’t remember the last time they had seen Metalbeard or Unikitty. Unikitty’s silence was especially perplexing- sure, they knew she was busy still rebuilding Cloud Cuckooland, but she _always_ made time for her friends. So what was keeping her? It was starting to feel like their responsibilities were taking over their lives, and he was especially worried about Sirius- when was the last time anyone other than them had checked on him?

**_We should go see him on our lunch break,_** Bad Cop said, breaking him out of his musings. **_See what he’s up to. I’m worried about him too, he seems more withdrawn every time we see him. I don’t think he’s doing so well._**

“Not since he moved into the new Tower,” Good Cop murmured in agreement. “This has just been a miserable month for everyone, I think…”

The Tower was quiet when they stopped by that afternoon. According to Velma, Sirius hadn’t been out of his office all day. Good Cop was thoughtfully silent as Bad Cop headed up to the office. He knocked only to announce their presence before opening the door and letting himself in. Sirius glanced up with a startled frown. “Rude.”

“I knocked first.” Bad Cop frowned back; the President seemed more morose than usual. “You’re not looking so well. What’s going on?”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Thanks for that. Just had a weird dream last night, that’s all. It’s nothing.”

Good Cop switched out at that, giving him a look. “I wouldn’t say it’s ‘nothing’ if _Cary’s_ taking notice of how much it’s affecting you.”

** _Hey!_ **

“Alastar, I’m _fine_-” He leaned back in his chair as the cop stepped closer.

“Nope, you’re coming out with us for lunch. You could do with some sunshine and fresh air-”

“Excuse-me-sir?” Velma interrupted. Good Cop froze as he was reaching to grab Sirius’ arm and pull him to his feet, both men turning to give her their attention. She held out a large yellow envelop. Sirius shoved Good Cop away, giving the envelop a puzzled stare.

“When did that get here?”

“Just-a-few-minutes-ago-sir.” He scrambled out of his chair to retrieve it before Good Cop could, earning a snicker from his friend, and tore it open.

“What is it?” the cop asked, peering over his shoulder.

“It’s… an invitation??” His eyes went wide. “I’ve never received an invitation to _anything_ before…”

“But what’s it _for?_” Good Cop pressed.

Sirius took a moment to read it over. “It looks like a new realm has been established, and the Governor is inviting the leaders of all the other realms to come celebrate its creation, and to get to know everyone.” He grinned, starting to bounce, and grabbed Good Cop’s arm, dragging him back to the computer to get a view of it from the satellite.

“It’s… in the Forest of Obsolete Products?” Sirius made a face at that. “But hey, anyone willing and able to tame _that_ hell-realm is okay in my book.”

_I’m- I’m aCtually nOt sure abouT this, guys,_ Keelan murmured. _Something about iT… doesn’t_ fEel _right…_

**_It does seem suspicious_**, Bad Cop agreed, and switched back out, plucking the paper from Sirius’ hands to look it over himself. The President frowned at him, but let him do his thing.

_That’s just because you’re paranoid,_ Good Cop teased.

Bad Cop scanned the text very carefully. It seemed it was to be a new city-realm, much like Bricksburg but not as modern, and it was called Rookburn. “Interesting name,” he muttered. The date for the get-together was set for November first; just a week away. “Looks authentic enough,” he decided after a moment. “Are you planning on going, then?”

“I think so, yes,” Sirius answered. “I mean, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity- the last realm to be made was Cape Space, and that was like _sixty years_ ago. Definitely an occasion to celebrate. Besides, it could be fun!”

“I’m still not so sure about this,” Bad Cop admitted. “Kee’s pretty convinced there’s something _wrong_ about it.” Sirius raised an eyebrow at him. “…His intuition’s been pretty spot-on so far.”

“Well if you’re that worried about it, why don’t you just come along, make sure I’m protected or whatever?”

“Fine, we’ll come,” Bad Cop sighed.

“Great! I’ll get the RSVP sent then!”

~* *~

They gathered at the Hole In The Wall Pizzeria (which they’d been amused to discover was its actual name, once the sign was restored) for supper that night, meeting Bruce and Dick there. Apparently the boy had something he wanted to give them all in person. It seemed all it took was the Power of the Pout to round everyone up again (though how the pair managed to get ahold of Metalbeard and Unikitty was beyond them).

“I’m having a Halloween party!” the boy announced, absolutely giddy as he handed out invitations.

“Oh,” Sirius gasped as one of the cards was shoved into his hands.

“That sounds like fun!” Emmet enthused, marveling at his own invite. “Ohmygosh Lucy look I actually got invited to a party!!” She smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Two invitations in _one day_,” Sirius murmured in something like wonder. Benny glanced over at him.

“What else did you get invited to?”

“It appears a new realm was recently formed,” Bad Cop answered for him. “Their governor extended an invitation to the leader of every realm they could make contact with, I guess just to meet everyone.”

Unikitty pouted. “_I_ didn’t get an invite…”

“Cloud Cuckooland is still _incommunicado_,” Benny reminded her, and she pouted more.

Dick stared up at them with wide eyes. “So what does that mean?”

“It means we won’t be able to make it to your party,” Sirius told him, genuinely apologetic as Dick’s shoulders slumped. “We already told them we’d be there.”

“Why can’t you do both?” Lucy suggested.

“Because the meeting is on November first, and you Master Builders never built a shortcut to the Forest. We’ll be driving all day on Halloween to get there,” Bad Cop explained.

“Would it be possible to build a shortcut now?” Emmet asked.

“No,” Lucy sighed. “That was a feat we only managed under Vitruvius’ guidance, and he had to do… _something_ to make it function like we wanted it to. Now that he’s gone…”

“Oh…”

Sirius glanced down at his shoes as Bruce pointedly raised an eyebrow at him. Lucy elbowed her ex sharply in the ribs, and Sirius startled to feel a massive hand press gently to his back.

“It be in the past now,” Metalbeard said in the most encouraging tone he could muster. “Vitruvius ain’t mad at ye. It be time for ye to let it go as well.”

“I know that, but it’s just… It’s hard. I never gave a single thought to the repercussions of my actions back then, and now that I _see_ what I caused…”

“Yeah we miss him,” Unikitty soothed. “But because of ‘what you caused’, things are getting so much _better_ now! _Everybody’s_ learning and growing, even you, and that’s a good thing!” She rubbed up against his side, purring, and he gratefully ran his fingers through her fur. “But traveling on Halloween? I’m not so sure that’s a good idea- I’m getting the feeling something _bad_ could happen...”

“Ugh, you too?” Sirius complained. “You and Keelan and your ‘bad feelings’, I swear. You think a bunch of spooks are gonna swoop down and kidnap us, or something? Stop worrying so much, we’ll be _fine_, I promise.” He crouched down to be eye level with Dick. “And I really am sorry we won’t make it to your party this year. I know you’re excited that it’s your first with your new family, but there’s always next year, right?”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”


	3. Hotel California

**Chapter Two: Hotel California**

As the week continued on, they began to hear of the other realms receiving similar invitations. The internet was buzzing with excitement, many people eager to meet the residents of the new realm, and speculating what they would be like. “See? I _told_ you it would be fine,” Sirius said as Bad Cop relaxed.

Unikitty, on the other hand, became more and more anxious, the closer to Halloween it got. “I’m serious about this, you guys,” she told them on more than one occasion. “I don’t think Halloween Night is going to be _quiet_ this year.” Between her and Keelan’s persistence, Good Cop was starting to share their concern.

_I don’t think it’s just superstitious nonsense,_ he said. _Vitruvius did warn me that opening that Gate might release_ other _things back into the world. We shouldn’t be so quick to write off her intuition, you know she’s more sensitive to such things than most._

“Fine, I’ll bring the crowbar. Will that make you happy?”

_No, but I do feel a little better. Thank you._

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you to stay?” Unikitty pouted the day before they were due to leave.

Good Cop rubbed her ears. “You know how Sir gets- once he’s got something in his mind, he goes for it. And he’s been too excited about this to back down. And honestly… I’m not sure I _want_ to try to stop him. We haven’t seen him this upbeat since Atlantis.”

“I understand,” she sighed, leaning into the scritches. “You guys will at least go prepared, right?”

“Certainly. We’ve got an old iron crowbar we’ve held onto, for just-in-case situations like these. I tried to convince Cary to let me pack some salt too, but he wouldn’t have it.” Good Cop grinned, trying to put her at ease.

“I just really worry about you guys, okay? Now that I know how _nice_ Bad Cop really is, and how much fun you are, and how much of a sweetie Keelan is, I’d be really sad if anything happened to you! You’re my friends!”

“It’ll be okay, ‘Kitty. We have twelve very good reasons to come back in one piece.”

Unikitty managed a smile. “Am I one of them?”

“You most certainly are.”

“Eee!” She nuzzled him, mindful of her horn. “Okay. I _suppose_ I can trust you to look out for yourselves,” she teased. “And for Busy and Keelan.”

Bad Cop switched out, grunting at her. “We’ve managed _just fine_ so far.”

“I know, but that’s what friends do. They worry about each other, right?”

“If you say so.”

“I _do_ say so.” She licked his nose, grinning when he made a face and grumbled “_ugh, cat spit_” as he rubbed it off.

“Why don’t you ever do that to Alastar?”

“Cause _you’re_ the one that makes such a big fuss about it,” she giggled. “Thanks, guys. I feel better now. You’ll really be okay?”

“We’ll be _fine_, you really don’t have to worry.”

~* *~

Benny sat on the bed, unusually silent as he watched Bad Cop pack for the trip. Bad Cop finally stopped to look at him. It was all the prompting Benny needed. “I’m gonna miss you _so much_,” he pouted.

“Ben, we’ll be gone _three days_,” Bad Cop sighed. “That’s not long.”

“So?” Benny sulked even more. “It’s the longest we’ve been apart since before the expedition.”

“It’s not like I won’t call you every night.”

“It’s not the same thing. I can’t cuddle a phone.” Bad Cop chuckled softly and leaned in to kiss him. Benny wrapped his arms around him, refusing to let go.

“I think you can make it two nights without clinging to me like a barnacle, Ben. And we’ll be home on Sunday, just in time for supper. Okay?”

Benny heaved a reluctant sigh, releasing his hold. “Fiiiiine… You _better_ call me.”

“And I want _you_ to have fun at the party tonight. No sulking just because I’m not there.”

The spaceman smirked. “Like you’re ever the life of the party anyway,” he teased. “Alright, fine, deal. Kiss for luck?”

“Absolutely.”

Benny gave him a sly grin and wrapped his arms around the cop’s neck, pressing the lengths of their bodies together as he kissed him deeply. Bad Cop made a strangled sound and dug his fingers into Benny’s ribs, causing the spaceman to laugh and squirm away. “Little minx, that’s not what I meant.”

“Just giving you something to look forward to when you get back,” Benny said with a wink, grinning when Bad Cop turned red.

“I _already_ had something to look forward to. Coming back home to you.” Benny’s smile softened and he floated back toward Bad Cop, resting his head against his boyfriend’s chest and snuggling into his hold.

“You big softy. I really _am_ going to miss you, you know.”

“I know, and I’ll miss you too. But it’s only for three days.” He leaned down and rumbled into Benny’s ear, “_you’ll live._”

“_Gah_.” Benny giggled, even as he shivered. “Turnabout is fair play, I suppose.” Bad Cop smirked and kissed his head before gently nudging him away.

“I’ll see you Sunday night. Try not to get into _too_ much trouble between now and then.”

“B, you know me. I’m an _angel_.”

“I _do_ know you, and that’s why I’m only giving you one warning.” He grabbed his suitcase, gave Benny one last peck on the lips, and left for Octan Tower.

~* *~

Sirius was practically pacing when they arrived. Bad Cop glanced at his watch; they were actually a bit early.

“Anxious to go?” Good Cop teased as he switched out.

Sirius was nearly vibrating. “_You have no idea._” He glanced at their unmarked cruiser. “…We should arrive in style, don’t you think? Why don’t we take my convertible?”

“Ooh, that pretty red one?” Sirius grinned and nodded. “Certainly, Sir, just let me get our suitcase.” He grabbed their luggage from the back seat and followed their boss to the garage where his limo was parked, along with a couple other cars. He wasn’t really a collector, but he did have remarkably fine taste, and the Cops were the only living people on the entire planet he would ever trust to drive any of them. He tossed Good Cop the keys and climbed into the passenger’s seat as they stowed their suitcase in the trunk. Good Cop got into the driver’s seat, and they were off, heading for the city limits and the Master Builders’ open tunnels.

Sirius stared with open wonder as they drove through the portal that would take them to The Old West- he’d heard plenty of stories about the tunnels, of course, but had never experienced them for himself. Before the walls had been erected, it would have taken several hours to drive to the bordering realm, but with the Master Builders’ shortcuts, it took only a few minutes to reach the desert realm. “That was _amazing_,” he said, turning in his seat to look back.

“You mind if I turn on some music? We’ve got a long drive ahead of us,” Bad Cop asked, and Sirius turned to blink at him.

“Oh. You’re driving now?” He rooted around for his sunglasses, putting them on once they were found, and turned on the AC. Bad Cop shrugged.

“He gets drowsy from the monotony.”

“Ah. Well, as long as _you’re_ the one picking the music, and not your brother, I won’t complain.” Bad Cop chuckled and turned on the radio. Sirius grinned as he recognized the song and leaned back in his seat, singing along at the top of his lungs.

Bad Cop listened in silence. It had been a long time since he’d last heard Sirius sing-_ years_, really. Enough that he’d forgotten that a singing Sirius was a_ happy_ Sirius. He smiled to himself. It was nice, hearing it again. Better yet to know that their friend was _finally_ doing better, even if it took an invitation from a stranger. He resolved to work harder at getting everyone together on a regular basis again.


	4. Bad Moon Rising

**Chapter Three: Bad Moon Rising**

Unikitty bounded over as soon as she saw Emmet, Lucy, and Benny arrive, nearly bowling the spaceman over. “Your tactics didn’t work either, did they?” she ventured, and Benny pouted.

“No…”

“Tactics?” Emmet asked, giving the pair a curious look.

“I have a really bad feeling about them going on this trip,” Unikitty admitted. “We tried convincing the Cops _and_ Busy to just stay and go to the party, but they wouldn’t hear anything of it.” She sighed. “I just hope they’ll be okay…”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“It’s Halloween night.”

Emmet simply stared at her. “What’s so bad about Halloween night? It’s just parties and spooky decorations and costumes and little kids getting candy.”

Unikitty rolled her eyes. “That’s how highly commercialized it’s _become_, but that’s not what it _is_.” She sat, curling her tail around herself. “You’re probably too young to remember, and I’m not sure Bricksburg ever was all that much affected by it anyway, but Halloween is the one night of the year when the spirits of the dead can return to the realm of the living, and must be appeased before they go back. In most cases, it’s just family members coming to see that they haven’t been forgotten…”

“But?” Emmet prompted.

“But,” Lucy picked up, “Sirius and Cary made a _lot_ of enemies over the past decade. I know Bad Cop tried to prevent as many deaths as possible in the fights they often got into, but he wasn’t always successful.” Unikitty nodded solemnly.

“_Something_ Busy did during his reign kept them from being able to come back. I think the Kragle might have actually had something to do with that. But since the two of you destroyed it, that gate is open again.”

Emmet shivered and scooted closer to Lucy. “That’s… That’s actually real? It’s not just a scary story you’re telling to freak me out?”

“I wish it was,” Unikitty sighed. “But no, it’s all true. And I’m scared they’ll get caught up in someone’s plan for revenge.”

“_I_ think they’ll be okay,” Benny said. “They’re more than capable of handling themselves. I’ll just really miss B,” he pouted. “But he made me _promise_ I would try to have fun at the party tonight. So why don’t we set the solemnity aside for a while and at least go say hi to Dick?”

“Let’s!” Emmet agreed, eager to move on to less unsettling topics.

The boy in question was thrilled to death to see them when they stepped through the doors. “You’re here!” he cheered, rushing forward to hug them. Lucy smiled as she returned the embrace.

“Of course we’re here, we said we’d be, didn’t we?”

“Is that the Monster Mash I’m hearing?” Benny snickered.

“Yeah, it’s already started! My friends from the orphanage came kinda early so Grandpa figured we’d go ahead! Come on, I want you to meet everyone!”

~* *~

They’d popped open the top as soon as the sun had gone down enough so as not to bake them, and Sirius had enjoyed the feeling of the wind for a while, but now, as it was getting dark and they still hadn’t reached their destination, he was starting to get obnoxious. Bad Cop had to agree with his whining; he couldn’t remember it being such a long drive either. The fatigue was starting to get to him.

“Should’ve just taken your flying car,” Sirius grumbled.

“You’re the one who wanted to ‘arrive in style’, Sir.” He paused to yawn widely, and Sirius glanced over at him, surprised.

“Want me to drive?”

“When was the last time _you_ drove _anywhere_?”

“Geez, fine, just thought I’d offer.” He folded his arms across his chest, starting to settle into a good sulk, when something caught his eye. “Oh hey, look! There’s a hotel right there! Let’s stop for the night. We should be close enough we can make it if we leave early in the morning, right?”

Bad Cop looked over to where he pointed. Sure enough, there was a bright neon sign advertising vacancy. He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off as his brothers weighed in.

_I’m not so sure about this, Cary, that’s convenient to the point of suspicion. Besides, I thought the only hotel on this road was abandoned years ago?_

** _Now who’s the paranoid one?_ **

_It’s not _paranoia_-_

_GuYs!!_ Keelan nearly shrieked them, and seemed to be done with words, as all he could manage was to shove a strong feeling of _NOPE_ at them. That, more than Good Cop’s protests, gave Bad Cop pause. Keelan was very clearly freaked out by _something_, even if he couldn’t articulate just what it was.

“I’m not so sure about this, Sir,” he finally spoke. “Last Alastar and I checked, this hotel was supposed to have been abandoned, and something about it is freaking Keelan out pretty badly. Maybe we should just keep going.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Well it’s very obviously not abandoned _now_. It looks pretty well kept to me, and besides, you look ready to pass out as it is.” Bad Cop sighed and pulled into the gravel parking lot. “I think you guys have been listening to Unikitty too much, she’s got you all worked up over this. It’s just a night like any other, everything will be _fine_.” Sirius let himself out when they stopped and headed inside to get them checked in, and Bad Cop went to retrieve their suitcases. The weight of the iron crowbar tucked safely inside their own was reassuring.

He stepped inside to find Sirius speaking with the receptionist. “Certainly, sir,” the young man was saying. “We should still have several rooms available. Do you have a preference?” Sirius glanced back to Bad Cop, who simply shrugged in response.

“I think we’ll be fine with one room, as long as it has separate beds,” Sirius answered.

“Alright. Your room will be three-A, right down that hall,” he gestured in the direction of the room, “and here’s your key. You guys have a good night.”

“If I can lay down before I _fall_ down, it’ll be an _excellent_ night,” Bad Cop grumbled, fighting back another yawn. Sirius snickered and made his way down the hall, opening the door.

“Oh, not bad. Looks clean, at least. Décor could use some updating though, I think.”

“Sir, quit blocking the doorway.” He rolled his eyes and stepped inside, getting out of the cop’s way.

“I’m not really tired yet, so I think I’m going to walk around for bit. I’ll be back at some point.” Bad Cop grunted in acknowledgement as he dropped their luggage on the floor, then himself on the bed. He waved goodbye with one hand as he fished his phone out of his pocket with the other, bringing up Benny’s number and barely paying any attention as the door clicked shut. He hit ‘dial’ and waited, but didn’t hear ringing. Frowning, he glanced back at his phone. No signal.

“Figures,” he sighed. He’d go try to hunt for a signal in a bit, for now, he just really wanted to close his eyes…

~* *~

Sirius hadn’t been lying when he’d said he was still too wired to sleep. He’d dozed several times during the drive, lulled by the heat and monotony of the desert. So now he wandered around the hotel, trying to walk off his energy, maybe talk with the other hotel guests. There was a surprising amount of people staying there, he realized, in the middle of nowhere. Oddly, he couldn’t really _recall_ seeing any other vehicles in the parking lot…

While he was distracted puzzling that one out, he bumped into someone considerably smaller than himself, knocking them over. He paused, blinking down at the young woman he’d just sent crashing to the floor. “Oh my goodness I am so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention! I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked as he extended a hand to help her up. She ignored his offered hand and pushed herself to her feet, brushing off her dress. Sirius slowly pulled his hand back, biting his lip at the blatant rejection. Had he offended her?

“I’m fine,” she finally said after a moment. “It was only an accident, after all.” She finally gave him a proper look, eyes widening in recognition. “You’re President Business, aren’t you?”

He relaxed, offering her a smile. “That’s right.”

“My name’s Tiffany,” she introduced, offering her hand this time. He took it, giving it a firm shake. “What brings you out this way?”

“We’re on our way to Rookburn to make nice. But the drive’s taking longer than we expected, so we stopped for the night.”

“We?”

“Oh, the Cops and myself. They insisted on coming along, thought it would be a bad idea for me to go alone, I suppose. What about you?”

“Same thing, actually! I’m traveling with my troupe, we thought it would be a nice idea to throw them a surprise performance.”

“So _that’s_ why there’s so many people here tonight. You’re an actress?”

“Of a sort,” she grinned at him.

“Theatre?”

“Circus, actually.”


	5. Dead Man's Party

**Chapter Four: Dead Man’s Party**

Good Cop jolted awake suddenly, blinking at the unfamiliar room. Oh, that was right- they’d stopped at a hotel. Bad Cop had dropped off so quickly, he’d forgotten. He looked around for their phone, finding it on the floor where it had fallen from Bad Cop’s limp fingers. Oddly enough, they seemed to have signal again, so he hurried to call Benny while they still had it. It rang until the voice mail picked up; he figured Benny must still be at the party and couldn’t hear it ringing. A message would work just fine, then.

“Hi Benny, it’s Alastar! Just wanted to let you know we had to stop for the night, Cary was pretty wore out from the long drive and is still out cold. The Old West is bigger than we remembered, but we should arrive in Rookburn tomorrow morning in time for the meeting. We hope you’re having fun at the party!”

He was interrupted as the door opened, and glanced over to greet their boss. “Hey! It’s about time you got back-”

~* *~

It was approaching midnight. The kids had long since returned to the orphanage, and Alfred had tried to insist it was Dick’s bed time, but he was too wound up on sugar and excitement to sleep yet, so they allowed him to stay up. Benny considered it a successful party- he’d gotten to teach the kids the Thriller, definitely the highlight of his night. It had earned an eyeroll from Lucy, and Unikitty hadn’t stopped giggling through the whole thing, but it was worth it.

But Dick was finally starting to get tired, and just as Barbara was moving to usher the boy to his room, there was a commotion in the hallway. The doors slammed open to reveal Joker and Harley, and several others of their posse. The music cut out abruptly. Dick froze, eyes wide. “Uhh…” He glanced up. “Miss Barbara, we’re not in our superhero suits, what do we do??” he whispered urgently.

“Relax, everybody!” Joker called out before Barbara could even answer. “We’re not here to start trouble, we just heard there was a sweet party at Wayne Manor and decided to come check it out!”

“Like fun you are,” Batman growled. “You’re always up to _something_.”

“Not this time, Batsy,” Joker said, grinning when he scowled at the atrocious nickname. “We really are just here to have a good time. I promised my peeps a killer party, and _nobody_ in Gotham throws a better party than Bruce Wayne, right? Where is he, anyway?” Unnoticed by the villain, Lucy facepalmed, and Benny began giggling.

“He’s. Being a boring host. In bed already cause he has to do boring CEO things in the morning.” He turned to Dick. “Like you ought to be, young man.”

“Aww, do I _have_ to?? How often does a chance to _party_ with the Joker come up?!”

“Once in a lifetime, kiddo,” Joker answered with a wink. “Better take advantage of it while you can.”

“It’s after midnight, Dick.”

“I don’t have school tomorrow!”

“You’re not partying with the _Joker!_”

“He’s not doing anything bad!”

“Yeah, come on Batsy, let the kid live a little.”

“_Stop calling me that._”

Wheezing at the three of them, Benny pulled out his phone to check if Bad Cop had called. He hadn’t realized it had gotten so late already, and was sad he might have missed the call, but he’d fulfilled his promise- he was having fun. He drifted away from the arguing trio when he saw he had a message, wanting to be able to hear it better. Nearby, Barbara, Harley, and Ivy were having a quieter conversation. It sounded like it was about how “boys are such idiots”, likely meaning Batman and Joker, and he snickered as he hit ‘play’ on the message.

He was a little disappointed to hear Good Cop’s voice instead, but he was relieved to know they were okay. Odd that they’d had to stop for the night though, The Old West wasn’t _that_ big. He would know.

Unikitty didn’t miss it when Benny jerked suddenly and dropped his phone, rubbing at his ear and staring wide-eyed down at the device. The clatter got everyone’s attention. Joker gave it a distracted frown and snatched it up, hitting replay and turning up the volume. Everyone flinched to hear the scream, and Benny turned green at the sound of the laughter that followed. “I know that laugh,” Joker mused.

“So do I,” Benny mumbled.

“Are you gonna be sick?” Dick asked, worried.

“I might be…”

“This way,” Barbara said softly, ushering Benny out of the ballroom.

“Who is it?” Batman demanded.

Joker rolled his eyes. “An old pal of mine, he went by The Ringmaster. He could have made a _fantastic_ villain if he’d ever decided to go active. As it was, he sometimes provided inspiration for some of my schemes. I haven’t spoken to him in about, oh, ten years, though.”

“Why not?” Lucy asked, admittedly curious.

Joker shrugged. “It’s kinda hard to keep in touch with someone who’s _dead_.”

The ballroom was utterly silent.

“Wait,” Emmet said. “If he died ten years ago, then how would Benny know him when he came out of stasis only five years ago?”

“Because I knew him _before_ I went into stasis.” Emmet whirled to see Benny and Barbara standing in the doorway once more, the spaceman cupping a glass of ginger ale with both hands and still looking a little green, but better than he had just a few minutes before. Emmet bit his lip at Benny’s unnervingly dark expression. Even Joker was giving him a wary look.

“Benny…?”

“I think the Cops and Busy are in trouble.”

“Oh, I _knew_ it!” Unikitty huffed. “Why didn’t they listen?!”

“I just don’t understand why he’d target _them_…”

“If I recall correctly, your pal Business is the reason _why_ he’s dead,” Joker remarked. Benny’s jaw dropped. “Where are your friends that they couldn’t be here?”

“On their way to that new realm,” Batman answered. “Some big to-do for their grand opening or whatever.”

“They were driving through the Old West to get there,” Benny continued.

Joker quirked one bushy green eyebrow. “Huh. Very interesting…”

“What is it?”

“Well, The Ringmaster always did like the song Hotel California, said it made him think of a ghost story.”

Batman almost facepalmed when he figured it out. “So this Ringmaster guy decided to use it as inspiration and waylay on their trip through the desert, to exact his vengeance.”

“Benny…?” Emmet said, looking over to where his friend floated several inches off the ground, clenching and unclenching his fists, looking close to tears. He took one of Benny’s hands, squeezing gently. “Hey. Hey, it’ll be okay, we’ll figure something out. They’ll be okay.”

“How can we defeat him?” Unikitty asked.

“That I can’t help you with,” Joker said with a shrug. “Ghosts are a little beyond my expertise.”

“But not mine,” said a familiar voice.

“Vitruvius! You’re back!”

“Well of course I’m back, it’s Halloween night, isn’t it? We must get to work now- there’s no time to lose.”


	6. New World Order

**Chapter Five: New World Order**

_It had been ten years since the untimely deaths of his parents. He’d recently been elected the new President of Bricksburg- the youngest the realm has ever had. But his plan had been put into motion even before he got into office- he’d had the ear of President Stirien for a long time. So it had been under the administration of President Stirien that two specific new laws had been introduced- Master Builders must all be registered, and they must all have a license to Build. A way to keep tabs on who was Building, and when. He hoped the idea would spread, but for now, Bricksburg would be his test realm. He was surprised that a few actually complied, but as he predicted, most were refusing to adhere to law._

_Sirius had quietly put out an advertisement for a very special job, once he’d been elected. A surprising number of applications had been turned in, quite a few of them even from outside realms. He hadn’t been expecting that. But he’d gone through each and every one of them, picked out the ones that stood out the most, and began the interviews._

_So far, every applicant he’d interviewed had looked promising on paper, but were rather lackluster once he met them in person. He hoped the same couldn’t be said of his next appointment. This one in particular was… amazing, and he couldn’t wait to get a look at the guy._

_He was a police officer, only a few years younger than Sirius himself. Graduated from Harvard for Police, finished his probation in his home realm of Bricksburg, and had a remarkable record, for only being on the force for a couple years so far._

_Having access to such information didn’t prepare him for how _huge_ the guy was, though, when the cop stepped into his office. Sirius caught himself staring and shook himself out of his stupor, a pleased grin crossing his face as he stood to greet the man. “Welcome,” he said, shaking the cop’s hand. Standing so close to him, Sirius felt tiny- this guy was easily six foot four, and at least two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle. It was an unusual sensation, one he’d never experienced before; he was _always_ the biggest presence in the room. But this dour-faced officer, with his reflective aviator sunglasses and black uniform, was intimidating in a way Sirius could never hope to be himself._

_He was _perfect_._

_“It’s Officer Callaghan, right?”_

_“Yes, sir.”_

_“Please, have a seat.” The cop sat, taking off his cap and sunglasses as he did so. He didn’t look quite so scary without the shades, and Sirius relaxed. “So tell me- Cary, is it?”_

_“Yes, sir.”_

_“Interesting… Why did you apply for this job?”_

_“For much the same reason you started your campaign,” he answered. “The Master Builders need to be dealt with. You’ve made a start, which is more than most can say, but you need someone to _enforce_ the laws you’ve passed. Someone who’s willing and _able_ to stand up to them, let them know we’re not putting up with their chaos anymore. We’ve seen first-hand the results when the citizens try- at best, they’re simply ignored. At worst…” He shook his head. “I’ll just say the results aren’t pleasant. The fights are getting worse. But _we_ can take them. We’ve done it before.”_

_He certainly had. That was perhaps the most impressive part of this cop’s records. Took the Master Builder on, one on one, in unarmed combat- which in itself was almost beyond belief. Only superheroes or other Master Builders had ever been able to take one on in close combat with any amount of success, and Sirius knew for a fact this officer was neither. And not only that, but he’d bounced back from a blow that would have knocked anyone else out, shocking the Master Builder enough to wrestle him into submission and cuff him. Granted, they hadn’t been able to _hold_ him for very long, but the fact that this cop had even made the arrest in the first place was mind-boggling._

_But there was that persistent ‘we’ that confused him. He’d noticed there was an Alastar Callaghan that had applied too- same age, same background, so he’d assumed twins. “I just have one more question for you,” he said. The officer nodded to him. “You said ‘we’ several times. Do you mean your brother?”_

_“Yes, sir.”_

_“You’re partners?”_

_“You could say that.”_

_He frowned slightly at that. “Would you mind explaining?” His eyes went wide as their face… _switched_, somehow, and he found himself staring at a pair of round spectacles and a bright smile._

_“Hello, President Business! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you! I know you set the interview to be with Cary, but as you can see, we’re kind of a package deal.” Sirius leaned back in his chair, stunned. Janus twins. That certainly explained a lot. “I hope this doesn’t throw his chances of getting the job…”_

_“No…” Slowly, Sirius started to grin, mind already churning out ways in which he could use their unique situation to his advantage. “No, rather, I’d like to offer you _both_ the job.”_


	7. Grim Grinning Ghosts

**Chapter Six: Grim Grinning Ghosts**

Tiffany was exceptionally good company, Sirius found, once she’d warmed up to him. They’d completely lost track of time as they wandered the hotel talking, and he’d even made her laugh several times. They passed the front desk for what had to be the fourth time, and he just happened to glance at the clock on the wall. It was a few minutes after midnight.

“Oh wow,” he said. “I didn’t realize it was that late already! I should go check in with the Cops, if they’re not out cold right now, they’re probably wondering where the heck I’ve been.” Tiffany fell silent at that, looking nervous.

“Um. I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” she told him.

“What? Why not?!”

“Look, I- I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but you’re… you’re not at all what I was expecting. You’re not safe here.”

He was baffled by that. “What?”

“You’re _not safe_. Boss lured you here for a reason, and it’s not a _good_ one.”

“What do you mean _lured_? It certainly wasn’t our intention to come _here_, to the middle of nowhere!”

“Boss set it up. Rookburn, the invitations, _all_ of it,” she admitted, wringing her hands. “He’s had ten years to stew on how much he hates you and your cop friends. That’s ten years to plot his vengeance. When he was finally freed this summer, he jumped at the chance.”

“All the more reason for me to head back,” he insisted, marching straight back to their room. Tiffany hurried along after him.

“You _must_ be careful! You can’t trust them, he’ll try to turn them against you-”

“Pfft. He obviously doesn’t know them very well if he thinks _that_ would ever happen.” He slowed as he approached their door, spotting Keelan standing outside with his hand on the knob. He seemed lost in thought, or perhaps sleepwalking. “Keelan?” he called. “What’s going on, I thought you guys were sleeping?” Tiffany went stiff as he tried to get the youngest triplet’s attention, and it didn’t go unnoticed. “Oh come off it,” Sirius huffed. “It’s only Keelan. The kid wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Keelan finally turned toward them, as if just registering their presence. “_They’re gone_,” he accused with a snarl more befitting of Bad Cop, and Sirius froze, giving him a confused look.

“What are you talking about? Who’s gone?”

_“They’re gone, and it’s your fault!”_

_“Whoa!”_ He moved to grab Tiffany and shove her out of the way as Keelan lunged at them, only to be met with empty air. He stumbled in surprise and slammed into the wall, blinking as he tried to wrap his head around what just happened. The young woman had completely disappeared, and he had a pissed-off cop-sibling ready to murder him for something he couldn’t even understand. He squeaked and let himself drop to the floor as a fist came hurtling toward him, lodging itself in the drywall where his head had been only a second before. He shook his head, sending dust and pieces flying, and scrambled to his feet. Logically he knew there was _no way_ he was going to outrun Keelan, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least _try_.

There was a cracking sound behind him as Keelan freed himself from the wall, and his heart nearly leapt into his throat in terror. It wouldn’t take his young friend long to catch up to him, and then he’d be in a world of hurt. As he predicted, it was less than a minute before those pounding footsteps were too close for comfort. There was a faint scraping sound, and seconds later an end table collided with the backs of his legs, tripping him up. He hit the floor hard enough to knock the wind out of him, and could only lay there dazed as he tried to figure out what happened. He managed to roll onto his back, staring up into empty eyes. “What the heck is your problem?! I didn’t do anything!”

_“You killed them.”_

_“Killed who?!”_

_“Alastar and Cary!”_ Keelan roared at him, and he fell limp, white as a sheet.

“They’re- they’re gone…? Keelan, I didn’t-!”

_“You erased them!!”_ Keelan grabbed the President’s arms, sharp claws slicing through fabric and flesh.

Sirius screamed, fighting to keep eye contact and think his situation through. Something about that didn’t add up. “That was- we got Alastar back! _Months_ ago! Remember?! And I never did _anything_ to Cary!! If they’re gone now, I had nothing to do with it!” On a whim he punched upward. Keelan jerked back quickly enough that the attack did little more than graze his cheek, but it was enough to get him to loosen his grip.

Keelan seemed to be lost in… some skewed memory. Clearly he was referring to _that moment_ in the Relic Chamber that Sirius very much did not want to think about, but how Cary got involved in that memory like _that_ was beyond him.

Something about the whole situation _definitely_ wasn’t adding up. Was that what Tiffany had been trying to warn him about? Whatever the case, Keelan clearly wasn’t in his right mind, and Sirius wasn’t about to die for something he wasn’t the least bit at fault for. He curled quickly, planting his feet against Keelan’s chest and kicking out as hard as he could, managing to shove the young man back a good few feet (perhaps the one time he was grateful it was such a workout to wear that damn power suit). He got back to his feet as quickly as he could manage, clutching at his bleeding arms as he forced his bruised legs to carry him away as quickly as they could manage. “And this was my best jacket too, darn it,” he grumbled. “Come on, Keelan, _snap out of it-!_”


	8. Black Blade

**Chapter Seven: Black Blade**

Good Cop jolted awake, and immediately regretted it. His head hurt. The very next thing he noticed was that his head was quiet. Far _too_ quiet, even for the other two being asleep. He would at least be getting snippets of their dreams. Panic started to well up, making his stomach twist into knots and his heart pound, as he searched desperately for them. He couldn’t feel any trace of them- where were they?! They couldn’t be _dead_-

_No_. He tamped down on the feeling, burying it deep. If Bad Cop could continue to function without him, then he could do the same. He _had_ to- he wouldn’t survive the night otherwise. Instead, he took a few minutes to take stock of his situation.

He was alone, and bound to a chair. With his own cuffs. “Well, this is a little embarrassing,” he muttered to himself. But the chair was only wood, and a little rickety, judging from the way it wobbled when he shifted his weight. He twisted this way and that, getting a better look at it. Definitely flimsy. Putting dignity aside for a moment, he stood, then fell back down on it with all his weight, hissing slightly when the legs snapped and dropped him on the floor. That kind of hurt. But he’d accomplished his goal- the chair was in pieces, and he was free. He wriggled until he managed to get his hands in front of himself again, then patted down his pockets. The key was gone- _of course_. But he still had his pick, a small, easily-missed pin. He picked the lock on the cuffs, and put them back on his belt where they belonged.

Good Cop took a moment to poke his head outside the room, checking the halls. They were completely empty, not even a guard at the door. Obviously they weren’t expecting him to be able to break himself free. He grinned. Underestimated once again. He went back into the room, intent on arming himself before beginning his explorations. Even if his brothers were gone, he still had a responsibility for Sirius.

Thank goodness he was still in the room they’d fallen asleep in, at least. He got down on his hands and knees to fish their phone out from under the bed, where it had bounced when he dropped it the second time. He checked it; no signal again. He couldn’t even tell Benny that…

He swallowed hard and rubbed at his eyes, then put the phone in its case on his belt before retrieving the crowbar from his suitcase. He then sifted through the pile of broken chair parts, finding a section of a leg that had broken roughly in the size and shape of a baton, and grabbed it before leaving the room. He hoped it wouldn’t take too long to find Sirius and get the heck out of there.

Good Cop made his way down the hall, feeling eyes on him but seeing no one. It was the most eerie sensation. He paused to get his bearings and catch his breath; the place hadn’t seemed so large from the outside, but it seemed to have taken forever just to walk down two corridors. “Gotta lay off the croissants,” he muttered to himself. Now he could understand why Bad Cop always had a fit when he indulged himself. That thought sent a pang through his heart, and he quickly pushed it away.

It took him a minute to realize the halls weren’t as quiet as he originally thought. He still couldn’t see a single soul, but he was starting to hear whispers. Faintly, at first, but soon they were all around him. “Hello…?” he called out.

_‘Pathetic,’_ whispered one of the voices, and he jolted, whirling around. It sounded as though it had been spoken directly into his ear, but there was still no one else in the hall with him.

“Who’s there?!”

_‘Weak.’_

_‘Useless.’_

_‘Miserable excuse for a cop.’_

He tensed, gripping the crowbar tight. “If all you have to offer is insults, then you can just stuff it. I’ve no reason to pay you any mind.”

_‘You didn’t even try to stop them.’_

_‘You allowed this to happen to us.’_

“This…?”

_‘You let us die.’_

_‘You let us die!’_

** _‘You let us die.’_ **

“I- _no!_ We did everything we could to _prevent_ that!” He frowned as a thought occurred to him. “And you’re just trying to distract and discourage me. You’re _not_ going to stop me from finding Sir and getting out of here.”

“Finally decided to be a hero, ‘Good’ Cop?”

He yelped and whirled around in surprise. He hadn’t heard the door open or close, but there someone stood, leaning against it. The man seemed familiar somehow, but for the life of him, Good Cop couldn’t figure out why. “I’m sorry, do I know you? I feel like I should, but I can’t seem to remember where from.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” the man chuckled. It wasn’t a friendly sound. “Let’s jog your memory a bit, shall we? Bricksburg, south district, April fourteenth? Sound familiar?”

His blood ran cold. It _did_ sound familiar. Memories of a raid gone horribly wrong flashed through his mind. They’d found a Master Builder hideout right in Bricksburg, the bold devils, and had gone to capture them. They’d been expecting a fight, but not for someone to scream “You’ll never catch me alive!” (so _horribly_ cliché, and Bad Cop had rolled his eyes so hard at that) and throw a grenade at them, or for their bots to leap into action and throw it back before it exploded _them_. As grateful as they’d been for Freddie saving their life, it resulted in the deaths of several Master Builders, and severe injury of the rest.

“You were one of the injured…”

The man gave him a toothy, terrifying grin. “I was one of the _deceased_.”

“_Oh God_.” Good Cop wasn’t a proud man. He turned tail and ran. Haunting laughter followed him the rest of the way down the hall.

When he felt he’d put sufficient distance between himself and the Master Builder, he ducked into an unlocked room and slammed the door shut, panting heavily and trying to get his shaking under control. “Oh, God. Should’ve listened to Kitty and Benny…!” He rubbed at his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. This was… nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. _He’d_ recently been a ghost for a short while, after all. “Pull yourself together, idiot… It’s just one more night in Purgatory…”

So. A hotel full of ghosts, likely all Master Builders like the one he’d just met. And two of the men responsible for their deaths trapped inside.

He _really_ had to find Sirius before things got any worse.

A scream from somewhere in the distance about made his heart stop. He tore back out of the room, heading in its direction. It sounded like it was coming from the hallway he’d met the dead Master Builder in, but where he was _certain_ there was a corner, he found a wall. He caught himself before he ran into it, blinking uncomprehendingly at it. “I could swear I just came through here…” He took a few steps back and glanced around, baffled.

The whole hallway had changed.

“Of course,” he muttered to himself. “There’s ghosts, why not a shapeshifting hotel? Makes _perfect_ sense.” The screaming had changed, and it sounded like someone shouting. Though he couldn’t make out the words, he knew the voice well enough. “Sir!!” He heard another shout in response to his call, still too muffled to hear clearly, but he could make out three syllables. _His name_. Another scream, this one pained. “Oh God. I’m coming, Sir, just hang on!” He hurried back down the hall, looking for any way out. “I’m coming…”

There was a yelp, and he must have been getting closer, because now he could hear footsteps. Sirius rounded the corner before he reached it- _when did he get so fast_\- nearly bowling him over, but he stayed upright, catching his boss and getting a good look at him.

He was a mess, eyes wild and hair mussed from his desperate attempts to escape, his nice gray suit in tatters and stained with blood, looking like he’d been sliced by claws. Good Cop was horrified. “Oh! Oh Alastar, thank God- but- _how_-?!” He twisted back the way he came, looking utterly perplexed, then back at Alastar.

“What kind of monster have they let loose in here?”

“Not a monster,” Sirius muttered back, letting out a whimper as he moved to hide behind the cop, clinging to his shirt. Something was coming.

_Focus_, Good Cop reminded himself, raising his arm to throw up a ward. Sirius peeked around him, eyes wide in wonder, before hiding again as the ‘monster’ in question came around the corner. There was a snarl as it collided with the ward. For a moment, his heart soared- _not dead, not dead!_\- but then crashed hard when it registered just what was happening.

“Oh Keelan, _no_…”

It was impossible to reconcile his sweet little brother with this slavering _thing_ clawing at the wall of magic between them. “What the heck is going on?”

“He keeps screaming that I killed you, but-”

“But I’m _right here!_ Keelan, _look at me!_ I’m not dead!” But his brother paid him no heed, behaving as though he wasn’t even there.

“I think someone’s messed with his head! He keeps saying I erased you- which, okay yeah, _that happened_, but he thinks I erased _Cary_ too!” Sirius explained, peeking around him again. “It was a trap all along. Somebody wanted us out here, alone and far away from any help.”

Good Cop swallowed down his heartbreak. He’d have to figure out how to help Keelan later. But at least now he knew they’d only been separated, not killed, which meant Bad Cop was around somewhere as well. He raised both hands and pushed, and Keelan screamed as the ward wrapped around him, pushing him back and dazing him. Good Cop wasted no time in grabbing Sirius’ arm and dragging him along back the way they’d come. “Ow, take it easy!” his boss complained, wincing at the tight grip over his injuries. Good Cop ignored him for the time being; he felt bad that he was hurting Sirius further, but it couldn’t be helped for the moment. He turned down another hall. “Cripes, this place is a funhouse,” he heard Sirius mutter. “This wasn’t here before.”

Good Cop found another unlocked room and yanked Sirius into it, shutting the door and locking it before grabbing the chair sitting by the dresser and wedging it under the handle. He gestured for Sirius to remain silent when the President looked ready to start yelling at him. He shut his mouth at Good Cop’s serious look and nodded, eyes wide. Instead he worked on calming his breathing- Keelan would surely hear his harsh panting.

After a couple minutes they heard footsteps, and the door handle jiggled as someone on the other side tried it. Sirius held his breath, eyes screwed shut as he silently prayed. The figure moved on to try the next door. Good Cop crept toward the door- Sirius had always marveled at how they were able to move so quietly, for being such big guys- and listened. After a few more minutes, he seemed satisfied, and removed the chair and locks to take a look outside. “All clear,” he whispered after a minute. Even so, he took care to redo the locks and replace the chair before coming to the bed where Sirius sat, still trembling.

“This is so wild,” the President murmured, raking his fingers through his hair and tugging at it. “First Keelan goes off the deep end, then I find out you guys actually got _separated_\- whoever this ‘Boss’ is, is _scary_ powerful.” Good Cop chewed his lip in worry; Sirius’ injuries would have to wait until they found a first aid kit. If they ever did. He kind of doubted such a thing even existed in this place. He took a moment to yank the comforter off the other bed and wrap it around him, hoping to at least calm his nerves.

“You said this was a trap. How did you figure that out?” His voice was gentle, but still held a familiar no-nonsense edge. “What else do you know?”

Sirius stopped pulling at his hair, tugging the blanket more tightly around himself. “Uh. I met a girl while you guys were sleeping _not like that_,” he hissed as Good Cop raised his eyebrows at that statement, starting to grin. “Don’t even. She’s like half my age, it’s just _creepy_. But she told me her ‘boss’ has been plotting this for ten years, and was just freed this summer.” Good Cop was very silent for a minute. “Alastar…?”

The cop handed over the crowbar he held. “That’s iron. Repels most things of supernatural and paranormal nature,” he explained at Sirius’ bemused look.

“What makes you so sure anything supernatural is going on?” Good Cop looked pointedly toward the door, then back at him. “Okay, point taken.”

“Do you remember what happened, ten years ago? Something _big_.”

“Well, I don’t remember you guys making any notorious captures…”

“We didn’t,” Good Cop agreed, grim. “But we _did_ kill someone.”

Sirius’ eyes went wide. “You don’t mean-”

“Yeah, I do. This ‘boss’ wasn’t released from prison, or the Think Tank, he was released from Purgatory. When you guys opened the Gate to bring me back.”

“…_Shit_. The Ringmaster.”


	9. World On Fire

**Chapter Eight: World On Fire**

The party was quickly declared over, and the guests (both invited and not) were sent home. Alfred, Bruce, and Barbara had their work cut out for them, trying to get Dick to go to bed. “But I wanna help too!” he argued, following as they made their way to the Batcave.

“Dick, we know you’re worried too,” Barbara soothed, “but this isn’t a mission for a child, not even one as capable as you. You can hold your own against a bunch of supervillains, but ghosts play by a whole different set of rules.”

“Let me tell you, this guy was a real nasty piece of work,” Vitruvius continued his explanations, completely ignoring the Bat-family’s dilemma.

Metalbeard rolled his eye. “Kind of gathered as much when that clown over there said he be a ‘matey’ of his.”

“I don’t have a clue where he came from, he just appeared out of the blue one day, leading a band of circus performers. Master Builders, every one of them. But he could use magic as well.”

“So like an evil version of you?” Unikitty gasped.

“Never thought of it that way. I suppose he was. He seemed very charming and pleasant at first glance, but he was quite the actor. I wasn’t fooled- I only met him one time, but there was something very chilling about him. And I think he was actually the cause of a lot of the unrest between Master Builders and the average citizens, in recent decades.”

“And what did he stand to gain from that?” Batman asked.

“Besides what he viewed as entertainment? No idea.” He glanced at Benny next, who could only shrug.

“It’s coming back to me, but not all at once… All I can tell you at this point is that it wasn’t anything good.” He turned back to Vitruvius. “So what happened to him?”

“I can tell you that,” Batman answered. “It was the only time Business and Bad Cop ever came to Gotham. This ‘Ringmaster’ guy brought his circus into town. I didn’t go see it, dude gave me the creeps. But they came to arrest the entire troupe. It was probably the biggest disaster of a raid I’d ever heard of. A _lot_ of people died.” Vitruvius nodded.

“The fire…”

Almost as one they turned to look at Lucy. “What?” Emmet asked.

“I…” She started to tremble. “I think I was _there_. I knew something seemed familiar about Gotham, the first time Bruce brought me to visit. I was little- I don’t remember much, what I can remember is just… flashes. Fire. Screaming. Wood splintering, cables snapping. Robots, everywhere. The most… furious green eyes I’d ever seen…” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “I remembered hearing about it, years ago, and I was happy enough to pin the blame on Sirius and Cary, but. I don’t think that was the case after all. I think- I think it was actually the Ringmaster that started the fire, that tried to bring the tent down to kill _everyone_. The audience. His own troupe. Men, women, _children_, all alike. It didn’t matter, so long as he got the two who dared to stand up to him.”

Dick’s arguments had died down as he listened, eyes wide and watery. “He- he really killed _kids?_”

Lucy nodded, as Emmet wrapped her up in a tight embrace. She gratefully leaned against him. “I’d never forgive myself if that _monster_ did something to hurt you. So please, Dick, just… stay home. Don’t make us have to worry about you on top of worrying about saving those idiots.”

“Okay…” the boy agreed softly. Alfred took the opportunity to usher him off to bed.

“The Batwing’s not big enough to carry all of us, we’ll have to build a-”

“Spaceship??” Benny asked hopefully. Everyone but Emmet rolled their eyes at him. The construction worker just looked concerned for him.

“I think a spaceship would be a good idea. It worked pretty well last time, didn’t it?” Benny barely waited for him to finish that sentence before he’d zipped off in a flash, throwing parts together.

“So how are we going to stop him?” Lucy asked, turning to Vitruvius. “If he was such a powerful mage in life, being a dead one on Halloween night is a terrifying thing to consider.”

“I’m still working on that,” the ghost-wizard admitted. “Unfortunately, a feasible plan may hinge upon Benny’s memory, and how much of it returns by the time we get there.”

“That’s… not quite the answer I was hoping for, but I guess there’s nothing for it,” Lucy sighed, watching as Benny put his spaceship together. He looked more like he was looking for a distraction than genuinely enjoying himself.

~* *~

Cary woke suddenly, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might beat its way right out of his rib cage. That hadn’t been a mere nightmare, he knew. There was no sense of Alastar trying to calm him, no panic from Keelan sharing his terror. His head was quiet, _so_ quiet, and no amount of desperate calling to his brothers got an answer from them. That… that hadn’t been Sirius, coming back to the room earlier.

He was unable to see. He couldn’t feel a blindfold, so either it was just that dark, or something _else_ had rendered him blind. And he was bound. No matter how much he struggled, the bindings wouldn’t budge. They had to be magic in nature. Somebody didn’t want him to escape. He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his head against his knees, letting out a shaky breath.

He’d sworn he would never fail his brothers again, and yet he’d done just that. They were gone again, and he’d done nothing to stop it. Just slept right through while they were attacked.

Slowly, Bad Cop came to realize it wasn’t as quiet as he thought. Someone was whispering. Several someones, actually, possibly even more. They were barely audible, but he could just pick out what they were saying. What they were calling him.

‘Traitor.’

‘Monster.’

_‘Murderer.’_

“No, I didn’t kill anyone!”

_‘Ah, but you_ did.’ The whisper sounded so close to his ear, he startled. ‘_Have you forgotten?_ You pulled the trigger. _And you hid like the coward you are when your brother defied Lord Business, you_ let _him get erased. Even tonight, you ignored them, when they could feel something was wrong. You didn’t even bother to try protecting them this time.’_

_‘You might not always be directly responsible, but you _are_ a killer.’_

Bad Cop was unable to stop the sob that escaped him. It _was_ his fault, that his brothers were… And he knew he was next.

And Benny would never get to find out what happened to any of them.

~* *~

_Keelan had instinctively put up a fight the moment that…_ thing _had taken over his body, but it was a battle he had quickly lost. Cary and Alastar were used to squabbling for dominance, but that wasn’t a skill they’d passed on to him, and really, this was barely anything like when one of his brothers was fronting instead of him. The feel of the other mind that had overridden him was so cold, so _alien_, he’d been caught completely off guard._

_At least it hadn’t tried to go poking about in his mind, it felt like it was stretched too thin to focus on doing one more thing. He continued trying to jab at it, dislodge it, distract it, _something_ that might help him regain control, all to no avail._

_He’d screamed when it had used him to attack Sirius, struggling and clawing for control, and fought harder still when they’d run into Alastar (NOT DEAD!!), until he’d worn himself out. He was thankful that they’d managed to hide themselves for the time being; it gave him a reprieve to try to recover his own energy. But they wouldn’t be able to hide for long- whatever this thing was, it wasn’t just possessing him, but the hotel as well. Its attention was simply elsewhere for the time being._

_…He could use that to his advantage. It was enough of an opening that he could piggyback on its consciousness, if not dislodge it entirely. He summoned every ounce of aggression he could manage, pressing against its mind, trying to follow where the source was. Maybe he could see its plans. It reared back in shock, and for a moment- just a brief, fleeting moment- he had freedom._

_And then it clamped down on him even more forcefully than before, pushing him down until he nearly blanked out. Satisfied that he was successfully subdued, the pressure eased up just before he faded entirely._

_“Not yet, little freak. I still have use for you.”_


	10. Incantation

**Chapter Nine: Incantation**

They left the room after a few minutes, continuing their search for Bad Cop. Sirius was still wrapped in the hideous faded, floral comforter Good Cop had bundled him up in. Not that Good Cop could really blame him- the desert got _cold_ at night, and if his theory was right, the place wasn’t as restored as it _looked_. “So when did you learn magic?” Sirius asked.

“Recently,” Good Cop answered evasively. Sirius pulled a face at him. “You guys weren’t the only ones to have an adventure this summer,” he chuckled. “I got to know Vitruvius pretty well, in the meantime.”

“So he taught you?”

“He did.”

“So in light of all the nonsense going on tonight- is it safe to assume Keelan’s possessed?”

“Yes,” Good Cop replied after a moment. “Sirius, you _know_ he’d never hurt you otherwise-”

“I know. Doesn’t make him any less terrifying right now, though.”

“The Ringmaster’s punishing us for what we did,” Good Cop said softly. “Of course he’d use the most harmless of us to torment you.” He paused, rubbing at his face. “And who knows what he’s got in mind for Cary. He was the one who actually pulled the trigger.”

“What about you? Did they do anything to you?”

“Well, I woke up handcuffed to a chair,” Good Cop answered, earning a brief snicker for his blithe response. “But other than that… I’m not sure what he has in mind for me. Besides leaving me to stew in grief, thinking my brothers were _dead_. I’m halfway wondering if he even expected me to be able to escape, I had no guards or anything, I was entirely alone. He must have thought I’d stay put like the ‘weakness’ that I am.”

Sirius flinched. “Alastar, I’m so sorry-”

Good Cop turned to him, expression and voice soft. “Hey, I already forgave you, didn’t I? It’s in the past, _please_ stop beating yourself up over it.” He put a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. “I’d rather they underestimate me anyway, gives me the advantage.”

“People always were good at that.”

“Sir…” Good Cop warned. Sirius gave him a sheepish grin.

“Sorry. Let’s go find Cary.”

They wandered in silence for a few minutes, listening for any hints of either Bad Cop or Keelan. The halls appeared utterly empty, though they repeatedly saw shadows out of the corners of their eyes. Sirius jumped several times at shadows that seemed especially close. After a while, they realized the halls weren’t as silent as they thought. The more they listened, the more whispers they heard. Sirius tried to ignore them at first, but the harder he tried, the more persistent they became. He hunched his shoulders at the insults and accusations being hurled at him, and he glanced up at Good Cop. The officer’s gait had slowed, his posture tense as well, and he wondered if Good Cop was hearing the same things he was, all the little reminders of the terrible things he’d done over the years, how he could never pay penance for tearing apart families, or killing people, or trying to end the world. He slowed to a halt in the middle of the hall, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands over his ears just to try to block them out.

A hand touched his shoulder and he screamed, jerking away, only to open his eyes and find that the hand belonged to Good Cop. He relaxed slightly, but couldn’t convince his jackrabbiting heart to slow down. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” he grumbled. “Gonna have to put a bell on you…”

“They’ve been hounding me for a while too,” Good Cop said softly, pulling him close and wrapping his arms around him. “Don’t listen to them, Sir. They’re only lies.”

“But they _aren’t_\- I really _did_ all those things-”

“Yes, they _are_,” Good Cop said more firmly. Sirius shuddered at the forcefulness in his voice, and even the whispers fell quiet. “_You_ didn’t start that fire that killed everyone, Sir, _he_ did. And as much as it pains me to see you suffering, it also makes me happy- it tells me that you’re still _human_ inside, and not a monster like him, no matter how many terrible things we _all_ did.”

Sirius didn’t speak after that, simply shivered in his hold. Good Cop obliged him, continuing to hold him until he calmed down again. It wasn’t until that point that he realized he wasn’t the only one trembling. “…Hey, are _you_ okay?”

“These ghosts really have a way of getting under your skin, don’t they?” Good Cop tried to joke, but it came out shaky.

“Alastar.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t heard a thousand times before, Sir. I can take it.”

Sirius frowned at that. “What, that you’re weak, or pathetic?” Good Cop’s silence told him enough. “Hey. I know what I said before, back then, but really? You’re the strongest person I know. I mean. You told me _no_, even knowing what sort of punishment that might bring, and you stood by it. That takes a spine of steel.” Alastar looked down at him, surprised. “I mean it. Now. _Are you okay._”

“…I think so. You?”

“Well. I could be better,” Sirius answered, gesturing to his injuries and wincing as he did so. “But I’m at a point where I feel like I can function again, at least. Let’s keep moving.”

~* *~

The whispers hushed suddenly, and Bad Cop lifted his head. He could hear the faintest of footfalls treading on carpet. “Who’s there?” he snarled. He jerked back when cold hands touched his face, nearly braining himself on the pole he was tied to.

“Easy,” a woman’s voice soothed, as she wiped his tears away. “Please, don’t be afraid; I’m trying to help.”

“Who are you?” Bad Cop barked back. “What happened to my brothers? Why am I tied up if you’re ‘trying to help’?”

“I… I talked to Lor- _President_ Business. He’s… changed, a lot, from what I remember of him. And you… you’re not the heartless monster I thought you were. Boss was wrong. _This_ is wrong. And I want to make it _right_. But he has eyes everywhere, and I’m only one person… Listen. Your brothers are _alive_, they are here. You just can’t feel them because Boss somehow separated you. Good Cop has President Business with him.”

Bad Cop relaxed slightly. “What about Keelan?”

A moment of hesitance. “He needs your help. Physically, he’s fine, but… Boss has a pretty strong hold on his mind. He needs you to be strong. Please don’t despair, otherwise _he_ wins.” He heard a faint whisper of fabric, like she was standing. “I will try to lead Good Cop to you, but... He knows I’ve betrayed him, if he catches me…”

Bad Cop nodded. “For what it’s worth, thank you.” He was met with silence once again.


	11. Thriller

**Chapter Ten: Thriller**

Sirius nearly bumped into Good Cop’s back when he abruptly stopped. “What’s the big idea?” he complained.

“I’ve been seeing shadow figures for a while now,” Good Cop said, “but… I keep seeing one in particular that seems to be waiting for us? It’s like it’s waiting for me to look right at it before darting off, unlike the others.” Sirius stepped around him, looking around.

“I don’t see anything.”

“I’ll point it out if I see it again. Come on.” They continued down the hall side by side, keeping their eyes open for their mystery guide. “Oh! There!” Good Cop pointed, and Sirius whipped his head around to look where his friend was pointing. He gasped when he caught a glimpse of a white skirt.

“Tiffany!” He ran after her, but she had disappeared again. Good Cop jogged up behind him, frowning thoughtfully. Sirius turned to him. “What’s that look for?”

“I’m just confused. She tried to warn you about the Ringmaster’s plans, and now she’s leading us somewhere. If she’s helping us… why? What happened to make her change her mind?”

Sirius shrugged. “I don’t know, really. I bumped into her- literally, I wasn’t paying any attention- and we talked. Well, I talked. She was pretty cold at first, like she was waiting for me to give her reason to tear my head off or something, but the more I talked, the more she relaxed.” He paused as he remembered something. “She did say I wasn’t what she was expecting.”

“I think it is very often forgotten that people _can_ change.” Good Cop gave him an encouraging smile. “You’re certainly a far cry from Lord Business, now.”

“_Please_ don’t ever say those two words together ever again.” Good Cop chuckled at him.

There was a godawful screech, freezing them in their tracks. Sure enough, Keelan had found them again, and this time, he’d caught Tiffany. “Finally found you, little traitor,” he hissed, not quite sounding like himself.

Tiffany thrashed in his hold, his hand wrapped around her throat and giving off an eerie green glow. Her form had turned more white, but less clear cut. “We can’t do this to them…!” she protested, voice faint. “They’ve already paid their dues-” Her words were choked off, her form becoming more vaporous the longer he held her, until finally she dissipated.

_“Oh my gosh-”_ Sirius gasped, and Keelan turned his attention to them. At his side, Good Cop grimly prepared for a fight. The President let out a yelp and threw himself against the wall as Keelan leapt at him again, Good Cop intercepting his brother before he could do any damage. He’d clearly become unused to fighting over the years, barely able to keep Keelan in check.

Sirius swallowed hard, hating feeling so useless, when he spied the one thing that did not seem to get duplicated with the brothers- Bad Cop’s laser pistol. An idea came to him then. He shrugged off the comforter, throwing it at Keelan’s head the moment the opportunity presented itself. “What the-?!” Good Cop yelped, leaning back to avoid getting blinded by it as well, and Sirius dove in, snatching the gun from its holster. He wasted no time whirling back around and shooting the possessed triplet with it. Keelan dropped like a sack of rocks, shrieking in fury. Good Cop looked down at his brother, then at his boss with wide eyes. “That was very brave.”

“It was the only thing I could think to do…” He bit his lip. “Sorry, kiddo,” he murmured, shooting Keelan with it again, knocking him out.

“I just hope he wasn’t the only thing keeping the other ghosts from interfering.” Good Cop knelt down. “I’m so sorry, Kee’,” he murmured, gently brushing his brother’s hair away from his face. “We’ll find a way to help, I promise…”

~* *~

Buoyed by hope once again, Bad Cop found himself better able to block out the insidious whispers. What was getting to him now was boredom, and a need to _move_. He really needed to stretch his legs, and was starting to feel it. If only the bindings weren’t _magic_-

_Oh_, he thought suddenly. _Right_. He’d been working on his Master Building abilities since returning home. Maybe he couldn’t break the bindings, but he _could_ break the post he was bound to. If he could twist his arms just enough…

There was someone else in the room. He could feel their gaze crawling over his skin. “Enjoying the accommodations?” a familiar voice crooned. “I worked so hard on them, just for you.”

“Oh God no, not _you_.”

“So glad you remember me, it’s been ten years, after all!”

_“Where are my brothers,”_ Bad Cop growled in response. “I swear to God, if you’ve hurt them-”

“Oh don’t worry, they’re both quite safe. I left Good Cop all nice and cozy in your room, he won’t be going anywhere any time soon. And your _freak_ of a brother is… out playing, with Business.” Bad Cop snarled at Keelan being called a freak. “Really, _you’re_ the one you should be worried about.” The room lightened then, and Bad Cop winced at the brightness. It hadn’t been dark after all, he realized, but his vision had been tampered with- a spell of some sort, most likely.

The Ringmaster crouched down in front of him, eyes the same blazing, inhuman green that Bad Cop remembered, and pulled his aviators off. “I haven’t forgotten how you looked me in the eyes when you pulled the trigger, not once, but _twice_. Those blue eyes practically _glowing_ with fury… That burning defiance…”

“What do you want with us…”

“I want to make you pay, of course. I wasn’t ready to die yet, you see.”

“But you sure were ready to kills hundreds of _innocent people_,” Bad Cop spat back. “Ever consider _they_ weren’t ready to die yet?”

The Ringmaster waved him off. “Inconsequential. They weren’t Master Builders.”

“You’re a monster.”

The ghost grinned widely at that. “Takes one to know one.”

“Why don’t you just finish me off then, if you want your vengeance so badly? I’m right here, I’m helpless, what’s stopping you?” _Keep him talking…_

“I want to make you suffer first, of course. I’m going to turn that scribbled disaster into a killer, just like his brothers. I’ll watch him play cat and mouse with your master until Business wears out, and watch him tear that waste of flesh to shreds. And then I’m going to give them both such slow, agonizing deaths… It will be exquisite, listening to you plead for their lives. You’d do anything for your brothers, wouldn’t you?” He grinned at the despair he could see in Bad Cop’s eyes. “Goodness, no wonder you wear these all the time. You really can’t hide _anything_, can you?”

The Ringmaster stiffened then, attention drawn elsewhere. “What- that’s _impossible_. How did he get free?!”

_Got it!_ The Ringmaster’s attention snapped back to him at the loud crack of the pole breaking. “You really ought to stop acting like you _know_ us.” The ghost stared as, in a single fluid motion, he managed to swing his arms back in front of himself and stood.

_“That’s not possible-”_

Bad Cop summoned the one spell he’d managed to learn from Alastar and released it in the spirit’s face, startling him enough to make an escape. The halls darkened as he sprinted down them, wallpaper peeling and carpet decaying in his wake. He smirked to himself. _Someone’s pissed._

He just hoped he hadn’t made things worse for the others.


	12. Gods and Monsters

**Chapter Eleven: Gods and Monsters**

_The months since he hired the cop twins had been nothing short of remarkable. Word was quick to spread of the police officer in Bricksburg that could take on Master Builders, and the number of incidents in the city began to lessen. Still, though they were two minds, they were physically only one person, and could only do so much. Sirius had spent time searching for Master Builders willing to help him bring his ideas to life, and was rewarded with a squad of robot prototypes, and Cary and Alastar had trained them well. The schematics for them were sent to Octan’s engineering department to create more. They’d also come up with something called the Think Tank. It hadn’t been tested yet, but it seemed promising, as something that could hold a Master Builder indefinitely._

_He’d also stumbled across hints of a powerful relic called the Kragle, said to be able to make objects indestructible. Further research proved it to possibly be a permanent solution to the Master Builder problem. If he could manage to use it on everyone’s stuff, they’d never have to worry about Master Builders tearing it apart again._

_But he’d had to put his plans for finding it on hold- he’d been given some more immediately pressing intel. The Master Builders that had caused the deaths of his parents were a bunch of circus performers, and they were in Gotham for several weeks to put on their show. How the twins had managed to dig _that_ up he had no idea, but he was both impressed and grateful. Those Master Builders had hidden themselves well, but now they would answer to justice. His robot troops were finally ready for deployment, and it would be a perfect test run for his new power suit. Cary was finishing the final preparations to make their move._

_They were off within the hour. The robots had been given laser rifles that, at worst, would burn (their goal wasn’t wholesale slaughter, after all), and had the files for the Master Builders entered into their databases so they knew who to shoot, and who to let go. They weren’t after innocent civilians, after all. With the newly-dubbed Super Secret Police surrounding the tent, they made their move._

_Cary cut the pounding music just as Sirius strode into the tent, red cape flapping behind him and the thrumming of his power suit in his ears. People turned to stare in confusion- was this part of the act, or was there something actually going on? The newcomer was having a stare-down with the ringmaster. “It’s been a long time,” Sirius spoke after a moment, “but justice has finally come calling. You will pay for the blood of the seventeen innocent people you have on your hands. If you come quietly, we may be lenient.”_

_The ringmaster stared at him for a minute, then began laughing. “Oh God, you’re _serious_. Did you come up with that little speech all by yourself? It was atrociously cliché.” Inhumanly green eyes stared up at him as the ringmaster gave him a fierce grin. “I don’t know where you got the idea, but we’ve killed no one.”_

_“The anti-Master Builder rally, ten years ago. _You_, and your crew, were directly responsible for destabilizing the scaffolding that collapsed and caused the deaths of fifteen members of the audience, _and_ my parents.”_

_“Oh, so this is to be payback for dear old mom and dad?”_

_Alastar rolled his eyes. He’d come to know Sirius’ opinions on his parents well since they started working together, and they weren’t flattering. But while his boss had the ringmaster distracted, he worked on quietly directing the audience out of the tent. If the ‘accident’ was anything to go by, the man was quite willing and able to get violent when he disagreed with something, and he had already proven himself very capable of mass destruction. He stared in surprise when several members of the troupe came up to him, one of them holding an infant. “We can’t live with the guilt anymore,” a young woman said. “We’ll come without fuss. It was never our intention to _hurt_ anyone, we just wanted to scare them…”_

_“Speak for yourself!” the ringmaster snarled. He wasn’t about to go down without a fight. Fire erupted from his hands, and Sirius just barely managed to pull his cape around in time to deflect the flames aimed at him. In a blink there was fire everywhere, and the audience began to scream, pushing each other around as they fought to get out. Alastar passed the Master Builders off to their robot escort and Cary switched out, voice booming over the noise to try to bring the chaos back under control. Cables snapped as the support beams collapsed, bringing the tent down on everyone. One of the beams toppled over into the bleachers, crushing people and sending splinters flying everywhere. With a snarl, Cary split the robot forces, directing half to try to minimize the damage to the support structure, and the other half to shoot down any Master Builders they spotted._

_Someone was screaming for their daughter; they couldn’t find her in the insanity. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another support beam start to topple, and a split second later spotted their missing child. Right in the beam’s path. With a curse he sprinted forward, snatching the child up and rolling out of harm’s way. The rest of her family wasn’t so lucky, unable to get down before the beam smashed right into where they had been standing, sending them falling into a pile of sharp, splintered wood. “Don’t look-” he tried to warn, but it was already too late. He shoved the unconscious girl at another of the robots with the order to get her out before any more harm came to her, then pulled out his gun._

Cary-

**I know. I don’t think he’s going to give us any other choice.**

_Sirius was still fighting the ringmaster, holding his own surprisingly well with only the Sword of Exact Zero for a weapon. The ringmaster didn’t even bother using the madness as cover to make his escape, so bent he was on taking Sirius and the Callaghans down with him. The flames in his right hand vanished, to be replaced with a sickly green aura. “You’ve been harassing us long enough,” he snarled. “If you want to be the bad guy so badly, then I’ll _make sure_ you become one!” He hurled the spell at Sirius, and the President went down with a shriek. Several of the robots were quick to rush to his aid, and Cary was relieved to find he was only dazed, but the ringmaster didn’t look like he intended to leave Sirius that way for long._

_Before he could make a killing blow, Cary pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was almost deafening, and everything fell suddenly silent and still. The ringmaster staggered to a halt, looking down at the hole that had appeared in his chest. Stunned, he turned toward the cops, his shocked look quickly turning to rage. _“You-”

_Cary fired again, and the ringmaster toppled over with another bullet in his head._

_~* *~_

_There was nothing left but a smoldering ruin. So few people had made it out. The baby, who had belonged to two of the acrobats who died in the fight, had been safely delivered to Gotham’s orphanage, and the girl taken to the hospital to be checked for injuries._

_Sirius sat on the ground, helmet and cape shoved off, staring at the smoking pile that had once been a circus. Cary stepped up to him, standing silently at his side._

_“Maybe… Maybe I shouldn’t come on any more raids,” Sirius mumbled._

_“That may be for the best, Sir,” Cary agreed. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”_

_“Oh, I’m fine,” he waved the cop off. “In fact, I’m already planning my next expedition…”_


	13. Mercy In Darkness

**Chapter Twelve: Mercy In Darkness**

Benny sat fuming in the copilot’s chair, letting Bruce fly the craft he’d built. Nobody dared to speak, lest they set off the normally cheery astronaut’s fury. “Benny…?” Unikitty finally ventured, scooting up closer to him. “What are you remembering?”

_“I can’t believe I actually _dated_ that jerk!”_ Benny exploded, kicking the dashboard and startling the others.

“Take it easy!” Bruce snapped in response.

“He _used_ me!” the spaceman snarled back. “That _absolute-!_”

“Sorry I asked,” Unikitty squeaked, scooting away again.

Benny fell silent once more as they finally arrived in his old home realm. It didn’t take them long to find the only paved road through the desert, from the air. They followed it until they found a dilapidated old hotel- and Sirius’ abandoned convertible. “That building really ought to be condemned and torn down,” Emmet commented. Bruce touched the spaceship down on the other side of the road, and Benny was the first to scramble out and sprint toward the hotel, screaming their friends’ names. There was no reply from inside. Unikitty leapt out after him, trotting up to his side, her fur standing on end.

“What is it?” Benny asked, turning to her.

“There’s definitely _something_ here,” she murmured. “I can feel an awful lot of magic being used- he may have created some sort of pocket dimension that they’re trapped in, if they can’t hear us.”

“We probably won’t be able to see them, either, then.” Benny slumped. “How are we going to find them?”

“Maybe once we get inside it’ll look different?”

Slowly, everyone turned to see Dick standing at the back of the group. “Darn it, Dick, I thought you were in _bed_,” Bruce spluttered. “Darn sneaky kid. How the heck did you get on the ship without us noticing?”

“Let’s figure that out later,” Emmet interrupted. “Right now, that’s the best idea we have.” He turned on his flashlight and approached the door. It shrieked in protest as he pulled it open, and he flinched when one of the rusty hinges broke.

There was nothing to see. Just filthy, peeling wallpaper, water stains, and rotted carpeting. Lucy joined him, taking his hand. “God, this is so _creepy_,” she muttered. “What ever possessed them to stop _here?_”

“Considering what the Ringmaster is capable of, it likely didn’t look this way to _them_,” Vitruvius pointed out. “Everyone, try to stick together. He might not be after us, but we _are_ intruding on his plans, and I doubt he’ll take kindly to that.” Benny wound his fingers through Unikitty’s fur, and she chirped at him in worry. Dick was quick to grab Bruce’s hand, his adoptive father pulling him close.

An idea occurred to the vigilante. “Hey. Benny.”

“What?”

“You got your phone, right?”

“Yeah…?”

“Why don’t you try calling them? That way we’ll be able to at least _hear_ them, until we figure out how to _see_ them.”

Benny stared at Bruce for a moment, wondering why _he_ hadn’t thought of that. “Worth a try,” he said with a shrug, and pulled out his phone.

~* *~

Good Cop froze when his phone started jingling. “What in the world…”

“Turn it off, turn it off!” Sirius panicked. “It’ll wake him up!” Good Cop took the phone from its case and checked the caller ID.

“It’s Benny!” He hit the answer button. “Benny, listen, I don’t think we have much time but-”

_“Oh, G, thank the stars,”_ the spaceman interrupted with a sigh of relief. _“Dude, we’re _here_, but we can’t find you guys anywhere! It just looks like a trash-heap hotel that’s been closed for the past three decades. Vitruvius knows it’s the Ringmaster’s doing, but he hasn’t yet been able to either unravel it, or help us _see_ it.”_

Good Cop paused. How had they known to… His message. It got through. He sagged in relief. “Vitruvius is with you??”

_“Yeah, he’s here with us. How are you guys holding up, what’s going on?”_

“Well, from our end, it _doesn’t_ look like a trash-heap. Sirius is with me. Keelan is too, but we, uh. We kind of had to knock him out. We haven’t found Cary yet.”

Several moments of silence, then, _“Would you mind running that by me again? I don’t think I heard you right.”_

“No, you did,” Good Cop sighed. “He managed to separate us, somehow. He-” He gasped in surprise when the lights suddenly flickered out, and in the last bit of light, saw the decay rushing toward them. _“What the heck-”_

_“G?!”_

“I think he’s done playing games,” Sirius muttered.

“I don’t know what just happened, Benny, but we’re seeing the same thing you are, now. I think Sir’s right, he’s done playing games.” They both froze when they caught the sound of footsteps pounding toward them. “Hold on, love, something’s coming,” he whispered into the phone, and readied the crowbar. Sirius held up the blaster, pointing it in the direction the sound was coming from. The President then caught the faint sound of jingling. Something about that was familiar- _safe_\- and he lowered the pistol just a fraction-

-then yelped and leapt out of the way as the one approaching them tried to slam on the brakes and wound up toppling right over onto Good Cop. “Oof- _Alastar!_”

“Cary?! _You jerk, you about scared the life out of me!!_” Sirius started laughing at the overwhelming relief. Good Cop wrapped his arms around his brother. “Idiot, I could strangle you!” he growled, even as he kissed Bad Cop’s face.

“Ugh, _stop_, that’s gross. Yes, I’m very relieved to see you too. Where’s Keelan?”

“On the floor about two feet behind me.”

“Why’s he on the floor-”

_“GUYS?!”_ Benny’s voice shrieked up at them from the fallen phone. Sirius was the first to snatch it back up.

“We’re alright,” he soothed the frantic astronaut. “We found Cary- or rather, he found us.” Said cop lifted his bound wrists and gave his brother an expectant look. Good Cop rolled his eyes and broke the bindings, then squeaked when he suddenly found himself wrapped in a tight embrace. He returned it when he realized Bad Cop was trembling.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” he spoke softly. “I thought…”

“I know,” Good Cop said, hugging him back just as tightly. “I thought, too.”

“I’m so sorry, I swore I’d never let anything happen to either of you again-”

“Cary, I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but there wasn’t anything _any_ of us could have done to stop this, he’s too powerful.”

“We should have listened to Keelan and Unikitty,” Sirius sighed. “_I_ should have listened. It’s my fault we’re in this mess…”

“Sir, as much as I appreciate that you recognize this fact-” Good Cop started.

“You weren’t supposed to _agree_ with me, you jerk-”

“-it doesn’t really help our situation right now. We should try to come up with a plan while we still have Benny on the phone.”

Bad Cop perked up at that. “Ben’s _here?_”

_“Would you mind setting the phone on speaker?” _Benny asked, and Sirius did so. _“Yeah, B, we’re _all_ here. We haven’t been able to come up with any ideas for a plan for putting an end to this loser, yet, but we’re here.”_

_“I think the pocket dimension he had you trapped in broke,” _Unikitty added. _“So we should be able to find you now. Just hang in there, okay guys?”_

“We’re trying,” Sirius muttered. The phone beeped as the line went dead. “Now what?”

Good Cop bit his lip, staring at something further down the hall. “Now we fight.”

~* *~

“Think you’re ready to tell us now, Benny?” Vitruvius pressed. “We kind of need to know what we’re up against _before_ we confront him.”

Benny frowned, fingering the crack in his helmet. “…Yeah, I guess.

“Alright, so what I remember so far is this- one of the other crews had had an accident of some sort in space, my first mission was to go with my crew to retrieve them and bring them back home. We found the whole crew, but only one had survived… He called himself Torrence Greene. I’d heard of him, of course, I’d learned everyone’s names as quickly as I could, the very moment I started college. We visited him in the hospital a few times; my crew said something seemed off about him, but we just chalked it up to the trauma of… whatever had caused the accident and killed his crew. I got to know him pretty well, I thought. Got to _like_ him pretty well…”

“But?”

“_But_,” Benny growled. “He just used our ‘relationship’ as a way to get close to me. The whole time he was picking my brain- like actually _reading my thoughts_\- and- and _experimenting_ on me, then erasing my memory of it. Graison, our records keeper at the time, said someone had been sneaking in and sending unauthorized communications. There was never any video evidence of it though, no logs in the computers, just him saying he heard someone around using the computers… We just thought he was crazy, guy was known to be a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but then I finally caught him one time. He wasn’t- he _wasn’t human_. We fought. He tried to escape, got as far as the moon base before we caught up to him. We-” Benny froze, eyes wide. “_Oh_.”

“What?” Emmet gasped.

“One of our deep space exploration teams had found the Kragle, brought it back to base for study. We took it.”

“_That’s_ where the Kragle came from??”

“Why did you take it?”

“I- I don’t remember, but I think… we must have used it on him. He was a shapeshifter- I think the Kragle trapped him in one form.”

“So… Did he take on the appearance of an astronaut that’s… still missing?” Emmet asked.

“No,” Benny sighed. “Just as he could take memories _out_ of your head, he could put them _into_ your head too. Turned out Torrence Greene never existed. Thank goodness for small mercies, I don’t know if I could handle the idea of somebody _still_ being _lost_ out there…”

“What sort of communications was he sending?” Bruce asked, getting the spaceman back on track.

“Right. Well, Vitruvius wasn’t far off the mark when he said the Ringmaster came to stir up malice. See, there was another team, way back when I was still a freshman, that had been sending communications back to base about a new species they were studying. The last message we ever got from them was that they’d learned this species was called Duplos, and they were going to try to make contact.”

“I take it they didn’t succeed,” Lucy guessed.

“Not likely,” Benny agreed. “Torrence himself came to investigate _us_, and try to prepare our world for an invasion. These beings feed on chaos and destruction… And with Master Builders fighting with everyone else, there was no way we’d ever stand a chance against them. He was making reports on us, letting his people know when we would be most susceptible.”

“I may have an idea for what to do now,” Vitruvius mused, glancing up at the crystal atop his staff.


	14. Hell's Bells

**Chapter Thirteen: Hell’s Bells**

“Alastar.”

“I know.”

“Alastar, I _know_ these people.”

“_I know_, Cary.”

“They’re all-?”

“Dead Master Builders. Yep.”

Sirius squeezed off several warning shots into the oncoming horde, biting his lip and stepping back until he bumped into Good Cop when the shots had no effect. “Ah,” Good Cop said. “Just a moment-” He swiped the pistol out of Sirius’s hands and popped the cover off. “Sir, do you still remember how to fence?”

“Well, it’s been a few years, but I should-” He paused. “…You know, a _crowbar_ isn’t exactly designed with _fencing_ in mind-”

“Unfortunately it’s the best we’ve got for now. Think you and Cary can hold them off for a couple minutes?”

“Are you out of your _mind_\- what are you even _doing?_”

“Making some adjustments and hoping Cary doesn’t decide to strangle me for it afterwards,” Good Cop quipped as he conjured tools made of magic to do… whatever he was doing to Bad Cop’s laser gun. Bad Cop quirked an eyebrow at his brother, but said nothing, instead taking the crowbar from Sirius.

“Hey!” the President protested, but fell silent when Bad Cop broke the hooked end off before handing it back. “…I can’t see how that little piece is going to do you much good.”

“Not like this it isn’t,” Bad Cop agreed. Sirius stared as he fashioned a pair of brass knuckles from the broken piece of iron.

“You’re sure that’ll work?”

“We’re about to find out.” Sirius sighed and rolled up his sleeves, giving the iron bar a few test swings. When he glanced back up, they were surrounded. The looks on the ghosts’ faces were unsettling, to say the least. As he looked at them he could see anger; grief; _fear_. He felt cold, then, like ice was running through his veins.

_Master Builders, each and every one of them… And their deaths are _our_ faults…_ He breathed in and out slowly to try to calm his nerves. He couldn’t blame them for wanting revenge- he would, too. Bad Cop glanced over at him as the tip of the crowbar dipped slightly, watching him warily. _Would it really be so bad to just… let them? It’s no less than I deserve…_

Almost as one the crowd of dead Master Builders swarmed them, separating Sirius from Bad Cop with a speed the officer couldn’t keep up with. He growled, throwing himself into the fight, but the ghosts were remarkably organized, making a concerted effort to keep him from getting to his friend. It made him wonder- was the Ringmaster controlling them, the way he was controlling Keelan? But at least it was keeping their attention off of Good Cop, allowing him to finish making his adjustments.

Good Cop glanced up as the crowbar slipped from Sirius’ grasp and hit the floor with a solid _thunk_, followed shortly by the President himself. “_Sirius!_” he shouted, but the President didn’t answer, hunching over and disappearing in the swarm. He gasped as he went unexpectedly cold, as though icy fingers had reached into his chest; it was like the whispers all over again, but _inside_ him where he couldn’t block them out. Bad Cop faltered, apparently feeling the same thing, and Good Cop could only guess that was what had affected Sirius so badly.

He steeled himself against the despair so persistently trying to drown him, and snapped the cover of the blaster back into place. In his peripheral he could see Bad Cop go down; he’d given it his best, but his fighting style was useless against the intangible, when only the strikes enhanced with the iron would land. Good Cop took aim.

“I am _not weak_.”

He squeezed the trigger, smirking in satisfaction as a wave of energy tore through the spirits harassing Sirius. They vanished like smoke, and he hurried to his friend’s side. He fired again, dispelling Bad Cop’s assailants next. It would provide only a brief reprieve, but it was enough to allow Bad Cop to pull himself to his brother’s side. “Is anything broken?” Good Cop asked, checking him over.

“Not yet,” Bad Cop grunted. “Sirius?”

“Come on buddy, come back…”

“Just let ‘em finish me,” he murmured brokenly. “Can never make up for it…”

“That’s not like you to just give up,” Bad Cop growled back.

“He’s in deep,” Good Cop murmured.

“Where’s Brickowski when you need a heartfelt speech?” Good Cop huffed and swatted at his brother, and Sirius snorted, finally peeking up at them.

“There you are,” Good Cop greeted warmly, giving him a soft smile. “I told you these ghosts have a way of getting under your skin.”

_“Look out!”_ Bad Cop snatched up the crowbar, sweeping it in a wide arc as the ghosts made a comeback, shrieking in fury as they descended upon the trio. Good Cop lifted the blaster again, but it was quickly knocked from his hands before he could use it. He didn’t waste a moment in calling forth his magic, hovering protectively over Sirius as he joined his brother in the fight.

They were too distracted to notice Keelan starting to stir.

With a screech the youngest of the triplets pounced on Sirius, shoving him to the ground. He let out a scream as claws began to slash mercilessly into him, and no amount of thrashing would dislodge Keelan.

_“Sirius!”_ Good Cop cried out, but in his distraction was dragged further away. The ghosts returned as quickly as they were dispersed, overwhelming the two brothers. Soon, Sirius lost sight of the cops altogether under the mass of furious ghosts.

Keelan paused with his hand wrapped around Sirius’ throat, and glanced up at something approaching them. Or someone, Sirius realized as he tilted his head back just enough to see. Judging from the green haze, it wasn’t any of their friends.

“Well done,” said a familiar voice. Sirius stared. The Ringmaster wasn’t quite what he remembered. Mostly in that he wasn’t quite _human_ anymore. His skin had been dark in life, but now it was outright _black_, like the cops’ uniforms. But mostly, it was his eyes. They weren’t like a human’s eyes anymore, with recognizable pupils and irises and whites. They were a solid, glowing green. And there were _four_ of them. He grinned, revealing sharp teeth, and turned to the cops, showing off two rows of spines that reminded Sirius of lionfish fins, the bulbous ends glowing the same green. “I don’t think our _guests_ have much fight left in them, now. All we have left to do is wait for the audience to arrive.” He glanced over to where the ghosts dropped his friends, the cops looking the worst he’d seen them in a _long_ time. Bad Cop’s back was to him, but Good Cop sported several bruises and scratches on his face, and a split lip, the lenses of his glasses shattered, the frames mangled. Their uniforms were in much the same state as his suit, and he could only guess at the extent of the hidden damage. “Let’s start with your _boss_, shall we?”

“No, no you _can’t_ do this to Keelan, _please!_ He’s innocent!” Good Cop begged. Bad Cop struggled to get back to his feet, silent, but his expression promised there would be hell to pay.

Sirius took a deep breath and looked back up into Keelan’s empty eyes. “Come on, kiddo, I know you’re still in there,” he started, and choked when Keelan pressed harder against his throat. He struggled to get his next words out. “Listen to your brothers…” Shakily, he reached up until his hands were on the youngest triplet’s shoulders, yanking him down into a tight embrace. The hand around his throat went slack in surprise. _“Fight him!” _Keelan screeched, thrashing to get free, and he held on for dear life.

The Ringmaster crouched down near his head, grinning a Cheshire cat grin. “That’s sweet, that you think he can hear you. I have his mind, and he will do my bidding until I get bored and kill him.” He caught something flying toward him out of the corner of his eye, and jerked out of the way just in time for the crowbar to go crashing into the wall. He turned a furious look to where Bad Cop still held one arm out from throwing it. “So you _do_ still have some fight in you!”

“You have _no idea_,” Bad Cop snarled in response. “I’ve already been through Hell, you’ve got nothing to keep me down.”

“So you figured you’d try to take me on all alone?”

“That’s just it. You’ve been so focused on keeping your hold on Keelan, you haven’t even realized…”

“…He’s not alone,” Emmet finished.


	15. The Greatest Show Unearthed

**Chapter Fourteen: The Greatest Show Unearthed**

The Ringmaster grinned slowly. “Well look at that, our audience has finally arrived! Now we can begin the show!” He made a sweeping gesture, and they gasped as the dark, dilapidated halls disappeared, to be replaced by a threatening orange glow. They flinched at the terrified screams that filled the air. Dick paled, pressing close and burying his face in Bruce’s side to block out the sight before him.

“My God,” Bruce muttered, horrified. “Is this what-”

Lucy froze. “No- not the fires-”

“Lucy, it’s not real!” Unikitty insisted as Emmet cupped her face, trying to get her to look at him.

“Come on Lucy, focus on _me_-”

“It’s just an illusion!”

“Come on lass, snap out of it! Ye be tougher than this!”

She whimpered as she locked gazes with him, gripping his arms in a desperate attempt to anchor herself in reality. “Emmet-”

“That’s it,” he soothed. “That’s right. I’m here, so it’s not real, okay?”

“Ah, a repeat customer!” the Ringmaster crowed. “Let’s see what it is you’re so afraid of, my dear!”

“You leave her alone! You’ve already done enough damage!”

“Vitruvius, can’t you do something?!” Bad Cop barked.

“I’m _trying_-”

Good Cop was at Sirius’ side in an instant, peeling his younger brother off of his friend and trying to pin him before he could do any more harm. The President was starting to look worryingly pale. “Come on Kee’, wake up!” he begged. Sirius lay stunned on the floor, staring up at the all too familiar scene.

“Not again…”

The ghosts dispersed, scattering into the crowd of living intruders and dragging them apart. _“No! Lucy!”_

_“EMMET!”_ Lucy screamed as she was pulled away, thrashing to free herself. Unikitty howled in rage, fur flashing dark red as she released a burst of magic to drive the ghosts away from herself.

“Hang on Lucy, I’m coming!”

Bad Cop forced himself to his feet when he spotted several others pushing over a support beam that would topple right over onto his boss- the heat of the flames was feeling real enough, and he wasn’t about to take chances with that heavy pole feeling real enough too, and managed to drag Sirius out of the way. The President whined as the action made his injuries pull painfully. The beam hit the floor with a convincing crash, sending out a tremor.

“AARGH!” Metalbeard fought helplessly as his robot body was ripped apart piece by piece, before his head was finally detached from the life support. Dick whimpered helplessly as Bruce was ripped away from him and slammed into a pole, shouting out as the pain reached him even through his armor.

“No… S-stop…”

_“Metalbeard!!”_ Unikitty shrieked, abandoning her pursuit of Lucy to help her friend in more dire need of assistance. Emmet was tripped up as he tried to run to Lucy’s aid and fell too close to the flames, screaming as his sleeve lit up. He hurriedly patted it out, wincing as his palm and arm burned, and turned just in time to receive a slash across the face that barely missed his eye.

_“Stop!”_ Dick cried, and ran for where Vitruvius stood in the middle of the chaos, belting out protective incantations as quickly as he could manage. He gently pressed a hand to the boy’s back in acknowledgement, but didn’t shift his focus away from his spellcasting.

“Try all you like, old man, but you have no power here,” the Ringmaster chuckled. “Chaos is _my domain_.” He spread his arms, voice booming over the noise. “I’d say we’ve worn them out pretty well! What do you think, time for the grand finale?”

“FINALE!” a hundred voices screamed back, and with a snap of his fingers, their ‘audience’ found themselves thrown into the bleachers.

Bad Cop frowned as he scanned their group of friends. “Wait, where’s Ben-”

_“NO!”_ Dick screamed as the flames flared up and raced toward the four in the center of the ring. He scrambled down the bleachers before anyone could grab him, running in front of the four men and holding his arms out. “I’m not letting you bully them anymore!”

_“Richard John Grayson you get your sparkle-caped butt back here this instant!”_ Bruce hissed in panic.

The Ringmaster laughed. “You’ve got guts, kid, I’ll give you that, but what do you think you can _really_ do against me?” As he raised a hand to strike the young hero, a gasp came from the crowd of spirits.

“That’s our boy- _that’s our boy!_” Dick jolted to find an unfamiliar woman hovering protectively over him, while a man he assumed was her husband threw himself at the Ringmaster, knocking him off balance before he could actually hit the boy. The other ghosts held back as they watched two of their own defy their leader.

The Ringmaster snarled, throwing his attacker off. “John. Mary. _What_ do you think you’re doing.”

“Protecting our son!” Mary hissed back, reaching for John as he pushed himself back to his feet. Dick stared at them, his jaw dropping.

_“You’re-??”_

“Oh Mary, that’s _such a shame_. You always were- _hurgk!_” He was cut off as an iron bar was wrapped around his throat. He twisted around to see a furious blue-suited astronaut holding the ends of the bar, pulling them tight. “_YOU_,” he snarled, spines flaring in outrage.

“Yeah. _Me_.”

Keelan’s screeching abruptly ceased, and Good Cop let out a surprised yelp as he overbalanced and toppled over, his brother dropping lifelessly onto him. He scrambled to try to find a pulse, and let out a sigh of relief when he felt Keelan breathe and start to shiver.

_“You’re the one that trapped me in that pathetic human form!”_

“And you put me through hell and then fucked off with my memory, so we’re even! I’m just sorry I didn’t do _worse!_”

“Uncle Benny said a bad word,” Dick gasped.

“You don’t have the Kragle this time, spaceman,” he spat, tossing Benny off. Benny drifted safely to a halt a few feet away from him, clenching his fists.

“No, but I’ve got a _lot_ of rage, _Duplo_.”

“And he’s got us,” Emmet said, hobbling down the bleachers. “I told you- they’re not alone. And we’ll do whatever it takes to stop you.” There was a chorus of agreements as the others followed him down, standing with Dick between the Ringmaster and their friends.

The Ringmaster gave him a flat look. “What are you going to do, hold hands and sing Kumbaya at me?”

“If we thought that might work, we’d have done it already,” Emmet said. “But you’re nothing like Sirius. Benny told us that you came here with the purpose of stirring up bad blood between Master Builders and the normal citizens of our world, to make sure we wouldn’t stand united when your people came to invade. I can’t extend a hand in compassion to you with any hope that you’d take it. You are _not_ a good person, and that’s not a call I make lightly.”

The Ringmaster laughed in disbelief. “Who the hell are _you_ to be passing judgment? You’re _nobody_.”

Lucy smirked, taking Emmet’s hand. “He’s The Special, that’s who he is.” That earned a number of gasps and exclamations of surprise from the ghosts.

“And that means _what_ to me?”

“I’d say it means you just lost your work force,” Vitruvius quipped, watching as the spirits crowded around to get a glimpse of Emmet, murmuring amongst themselves as the young man greeted each of them in turn. “You never were a _true_ Master Builder, if you don’t understand what it means for The Special to have been found- surely you would have heard of the prophecy from others who’d passed since.”

“Yeah, and I also know _you made it up_.”

“Didn’t make it any less real.” Vitruvius glanced up as the tip of his staff started to glow.

The Ringmaster tried to summon a spell to attack, only to stare in shock when it sputtered out. “What- _what are you doing,_” he snarled at Vitruvius. “What magic is _this?!_”

“The harmony that is created when Master Builders work together,” Vitruvius stated calmly. “My friends here rediscovered it this summer. Remarkable, isn’t it? There’s nothing else in the world quite like it. And seeing as it’s the very antithesis of the _chaos_ that your magic is based on, naturally it would negate your power.”

“The harmony…” Good Cop mused, and got to his feet, passing his half-conscious brother off to Metalbeard- once more restored, thanks to the quick work of their friends. “Vitruvius, might I have your staff for a moment?” The wizard handed it over without protest. Good Cop pointed it at the Ringmaster, scowling. “You _tortured_ my dear friend _and my brothers_, and threatened the lives of the rest of my family. I’m not about to let you get away with that.”

The Ringmaster grinned. “You really think you have the spine to do it, _Good_ Cop? You’ve never raised a hand against anyone in your life.”

“Not when they didn’t _deserve_ it,” Good Cop agreed, mouth set in a grim line. He jammed the crystal against the Ringmaster’s chest as he moved to attack, halting him in his tracks.

“And what do you think you’re going to do?” he scoffed, pushing against the staff to dislodge it. It didn’t budge. He glanced up, eyes widening as Good Cop’s lips curled into a smile that didn’t quite reach his gaze.

_“I’m about to make Purgatory seem like Paradise.”_

It took only a thought to release the energy the crystal had absorbed, and they startled when the Ringmaster _screamed_. It burned him from the inside out, ash and dust flaking off of him, and the remnants of his soul were swept away as though by a breeze, vanishing from sight.

“Is- is it over…?” Keelan asked.

“Yeah, Kee’. I think it’s over,” Bad Cop said. Keelan slumped against Metalbeard, sobbing in relief.

“…What now?” one of the ghosts asked. “_He’s_ gone, but _we’re_ still trapped here… This whole setup was supposed to be able to help us move on…”

“Maybe- maybe tonight doesn’t have to be about _vengeance_,” Emmet suggested. “Maybe it can be about forgiveness, instead?” They didn’t seem so pleased with that idea.

“Look, I _know_ how you all feel,” Lucy said. “Sure, _I_ didn’t die, but I lost my whole family because of Sirius’ campaign against Master Builders. But Emmet’s right- if we keep fighting, and holding on to that pain, we’re _never_ going to heal from it. And we’ve come to find that President Business and Bad Cop _aren’t bad people_. They did some very bad things- a _lot_ of very bad things, if I’m being honest- but for a cause they thought was _right_. And they’re our friends now, a part of our _family_.”

“But they got Tiffany destroyed-”

“For daring to help us, because she talked to us and formed her own opinions,” Bad Cop spoke up.

“I counted her as a friend, for the brief time I knew her,” Sirius added, voice soft. “I’m sorry about what happened to her.”

John and Mary came over from where’d they’d been speaking with their son, Dick trailing along behind. “Dick calls you his uncles,” John said. “I can’t imagine he’d ever do so if you were still the people we’d heard so many terrible things about. For him to rush to protect you the way he did…”

“He’s going to make a fine hero, when he’s grown,” Bad Cop commented, and fixed the boy with a pointed stare. “Though I’d ask him not to put himself in danger like that again.” Dick gave him a sheepish grin.

“I think I can rest easy now, knowing he has all of you to look out for him,” Mary said. “John?”

“I think so too, Mary.” He took his wife’s hand and gave Dick a smile, ruffling the boy’s hair before the pair faded away. Dick yanked his goggles off, rubbing at his eyes as he ran for his adoptive father. Bruce held him close, rubbing his back in comfort.

One by one, the others began to fade away as well.


	16. All Is Hell That Ends Well

**Chapter Fifteen: All Is Hell That Ends Well**

“Remind me never to get on _your_ bad side,” Lucy remarked as Good Cop handed Vitruvius back his staff. He simply smiled at her before moving to check on Sirius.

Benny dropped what was left of the crowbar and threw himself at Bad Cop. The officer grunted as the action put uncomfortable pressure on some of his injuries, but he wrapped his arms around the spaceman nonetheless, holding him tightly.

“I was so scared I was gonna lose you,” Benny murmured into his shirt, clinging to him. “When I heard Alastar scream, and then that _laugh_… It all came flooding back, and all I could think was ‘I gotta get to B’.”

“For a while there, I thought you were going to lose me too,” Bad Cop admitted. He pressed a kiss to Benny’s head. “But I’m still here, Bluebird, and I have no intention of going anywhere for a _long_ time.”

“Unikitty, do you think you could come heal Sirius before he passes out on us?” Good Cop called out to her.

“I can try,” she answered, padding over to them. “I don’t have much energy left, I kinda used a lot in that fight and putting Metalbeard back together… But I think I can get the worst of it, at least.”

“I may have to stop adventuring with you all,” Sirius murmured. “So far I’m two for two on being seriously hurt… Heh, _Siriusly_ hurt…” He giggled until he snorted. “Ow, it hurts to laugh…”

Good Cop smiled. “I think you’ll be just fine, if you’re capable of making bad jokes.”

“Oh…” He relaxed as Unikitty leaned over him, her horn glowing softly, and the worst of his wounds began to knit themselves back together. “Thank you, that’s much better…” Unikitty only hummed in response before the glow sputtered out, and she sat down, hard.

“Ooh, I feel dizzy now…”

“You did good, ‘Kitty,” Good Cop praised, reaching over to gently stroke her head.

“Oh baby, your poor face,” Lucy crooned as she inspected Emmet’s cut. “That’s definitely going to need stitches. But it should heal without much scarring.”

He attempted to smile, and flinched at the pain it caused. “Hey, at least my face won’t be so generic anymore, right?” he joked.

“_Emmet_,” she sighed. “I love your face, now shush. Bruce, are you alright?”

“It’s nothing an ice pack won’t fix, the armor took the worst of it.”

“Dick, you’re not hurt, are you?”

“I-I’m fine,” the boy sniffled.

“Hey. Blue.”

Benny glanced up as Bruce approached him. “Yeah? -Ow!” he yelped as Bruce swatted him upside the head.

“Don’t swear in front of my kid.”

“Oh. Right. Uh.” He gave Dick an apologetic grin. “Forget you heard that, yeah?” Dick giggled softly.

Keelan finally managed to peel himself away from Metalbeard's side, and tottered his way over to Good Cop, clinging to his brother. “Shh,” Good Cop soothed, holding him close. “I’ve got you.”

“I’m s-sorry- I tried-”

“I know you did your best,” Good Cop shushed him.

“Are you hurt really bad?” Benny asked, taking in the way Bad Cop was shifting uncomfortably, and realized he was probably putting some painful pressure on his injuries with his tight grip. He relaxed his arms.

“It’s fine, Ben. They’ll heal. Are _you_ okay?”

“The thing with the Ringmaster?” Bad Cop nodded. “I… honestly don’t know, B. That was a _whole can_ of worms I wasn’t prepared for. But I’m glad he’s finally been dealt with.” He paused in realization. “Oh stars. You guys are- are you going to be okay like this?! This isn’t gonna be June all over again, is it??”

“…I don’t think we thought that far ahead,” Good Cop admitted, eyes wide.

“You’re stable, if that’s what you’re asking,” Vitruvius answered. “He was thorough in that, at least.”

“But can this be _fixed?_” Bad Cop pressed. “Just because we _can_ function separately doesn’t mean we _want_ to. I don’t, at any rate. Once was enough.” Good Cop nodded in agreement.

“Certainly. Benny, would you mind letting go of him?” Benny backed off as requested. “Alright, I need the three of you to stand together- yes, just like that. Ready?” At their nod he pointed his staff at them and began to chant. The spell had just barely begun to work when Keelan started screaming, clutching at his hair.

“Stop_stopSTOP!_” Good Cop shouted, and Vitruvius broke off the spell, staring in surprise. “Oh God. Keelan? Come on, buddy, look at me, it’s okay-”

_“No more pe-people in my head, please!”_ Keelan wailed. _“I can’t, I can’t!”_ The cops looked devastated at his distress.

“Not even us…?” Good Cop pried, and Keelan shook his head.

“I’m- I’m s-sorry-”

“Shh,” Good Cop soothed. “You are _hardly_ at fault for this, Keelan, it’s okay. We’ll figure something out.”

Bad Cop looked back at Vitruvius. “Is there any way you can just merge me and Alastar back together?”

“There might be,” the wizard allowed, “but I don’t know it. I’ll have to do some research- and there’s no way I’ll be able to perfect it before tonight’s over. It’ll have to wait until next Halloween before I can use it on you.”

Bad Cop sighed, sharing a look with Good Cop. “I guess we’ll just have to get used to this, then.” Keelan looked horrified at the thought.

“_No!_ D-don’t, I can- I can do this- Vitruvius, don’t make them-”

“Keelan, this is our choice,” Bad Cop interrupted. “Forcing you back into sharing headspace with us is only going to hurt you worse. I swore I’d protect you, didn’t I?” He ruffled Keelan’s hair. “If this is what it takes to make sure you _can_ recover, then I’ll do it.” Keelan smoothed his hair back down and moved to give Bad Cop a hug. “Besides, you deserve a chance to explore and do your own thing, even if it’s only for a while. We know you don’t have much interest in being a cop like us.”

“You’re sure?”

“We’re sure,” Good Cop answered.

“Okay…”

“Vitruvius,” Good Cop said, “what about a- a sort of empathic bond? That way we’ll still sort of be able to communicate in a manner we’re used to? Is that okay, Keelan?” Keelan nodded.

Vitruvius smiled. “I can do that.”

~* *~

The first thing they did, upon being released from the hospital, was crowd The Coffee Chain. Skip, the ever-chipper afternoon barista, took one look at the lot of them and shoved a full tray of donuts at them. “On the house,” she told them. “I won’t ask what happened, but _man_, you guys look like you’ve been through hell. Good to see you again, though. Larry says you haven’t been around for a while.”

“Ye sure that be alright, lass?”

She waved them off. “I got you covered, you guys go chill. I’ll have your drinks ready in a few.”

They shuffled their way to the back, grabbing a table and some chairs along the way to accommodate the addition of two more to the headcount. They squeezed in together, taking care not to jostle each other’s hurts. Benny refused to let go of Cary.

“You guys think you’ll be okay?” Unikitty asked, looking worried.

“I don’t know,” Sirius admitted. “I have a feeling I’m going to be having nightmares for a _very_ long time.”

“I think most of us will be,” Benny sighed. “But you know you don’t have to deal with it all by yourself, right?” Sirius frowned at him. Benny frowned back. “Alright, I know we’ve been kinda remiss in keeping in touch lately, but I’m serious. You can reach out to us at any time.”

Good Cop nodded. “You’ve always been bad for bottling things up and not _dealing_ with them, and then things like Takos Tuesday happen. If something is upsetting you, then please, talk to us. Shoot one of us a text, or call, or heck, _drop by unannounced_,_ I_ don’t care. But don’t ever think that we don’t care.” He gently squeezed Sirius’ good shoulder. “Because we _do_.”

Emmet nodded emphatically. “I’m sorry I haven’t been doing a better job of checking in with you. I _know_ what it’s like, feeling like nobody cares you exist- and back then, it was pretty much the truth. Work and school shouldn’t be more important that my friend’s well-being…”

Sirius quirked a smile at him. “Thanks. And… I’ll try to keep that in mind. I guess I’m still getting used to the idea that I _have_ friends now.”

“You have _family_ now,” Dick corrected, swinging his feet. “And _family_ means we’ve always got your back.” He looked up at Bruce. “Right?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”


End file.
